Umbra Aeternam
by the bigshot
Summary: You lose your life as a human, only to be given a second chance as a Pokémon. How you use this life is completely up to you. Dante has lived a hard life, never really knowing anything except loneliness. One day his luck changes and he receives an invitation to join a clan of others like him. Will this finally be his chance to live instead of survive? Read to find out
1. Chapter 1

**Sup guys and gals, it the Bigshot once again. This time I'm here with a different take on my little tf writing montage. Your gonna have to bare with me through this first part since beginnings aren't really my strong suit. Hopefully after this chapter I can get into the full swing of things. And in case your wondering, no I am not abandoning my other story 'Fabled World', I'm simply giving it a break for awhile while I try and figure out now to progress it. Was it a good idea to start another story while I already had one going, probably not, but I chose my fate when I posted this.**

 **Now here's chapter one of my new story 'Umbra Aeternam'**

I stoked the flame as best I could, the small fire being the only thing keeping me warm during this cold winter night. I sighed as I tossed the final stick in, relinquishing the only thing keeping me alive, for without that fire, I would surely die. I wasn't sad about dying though, not like I'm really had much to live for, not like anyone would miss me. I was just a homeless loner, no one to care for me or even bother to look at me. I was used to this life though, having lived it for about twenty years or so. To be honest I don't even know how long I've really been alive, twenty was just a guess.

I had survived so long by sheer luck and determination, all because I wanted to spite my parents by living one more day. They, in an ironic twist, had been the reason I had even lived this long. They thought I would have died out in that forest, but somehow I survived.

Honestly though, I was tired of it, of this life. What's the point of living if you have nothing to live for.

That's all I could think of while I watched the flames die down, finally losing the final bits of fuel that kept it going. Normally I would have gone out to find more, but this time I didn't have the heart to even so much as move. I just wanted it all to end, to finally stop suffering the life I lived.

"The world won't miss me...and I won't miss it." So with that said, I laid down to sleep one last time, closing my eyes and letting the cold night air finally end my pain.

* * *

 _Come on Dante, its time to wake up.'_ I heard someone say and I opened my eyes to investigate, only to be greeted by nothing but a brilliant white light. I looked all around me, trying to figure out where I was, but the light was the only thing I could see.

"Hello?" I yelled, hoping to find the source of the voice. My reply was a light, even brighter than before, appearing before me. I had to shield my eyes from the ethereal shine to stop it from blinding me. I gave the light a few minutes to die down and lowered my arm to look at what caused the light, only to be struck speechless as I stared at the most amazing thing my eyes had ever seen.

There before me was none other than Arceus itself, the literal god of the universe was right in front of me. I instantly fell to one knee in reverence, my head bowed and my eyes closed.

' _Please stand young one, I wish to see your face.'_ Arcues told me. I lifted my head to look at its beautiful form before meeting it's shining green eyes. Its eyes showed kindness as it stared back before lifting its hoof towards me. I stared at the offered appendage, trying to comprehend what was happening, before hesitantly taking it into my grasp.

 _'Hello Dante, it is a pleasure to meet you.'_ It said before taking it's arm back and placing it sturdily on the 'ground'. I still stood there, completely speechless. The god of the universe was actually talking to me, me, a nobody. _'Now, now, young one. Everyone is important in my eyes, no matter who or what they are.'_

My eyes shot open and I stared at its eyes once again. It must have been reading my mind, that, or the rumors that it knows everything are true.

' _Rumors are rumors child, I do not know all, for my creations are too unpredictable to truly know everything.'_ It said and moved its head closer to me. _'What I do know child, is that you have been, what the humans call, dealt a bad hand in life. You have tried to play your cards right, but you knew it was pointless. That's why I'm here, to offer you a second chance.'_

"...Why?" I finally asked after working upon all the courage I could. It did its little eye smile and asked me _'Why not?'_

I had no answer, other than I wasn't worth giving a second chance. I didn't wait to go back into a world that hates me, treats me like I'm less than worthless.

' _Oh, but you misunderstand, I would not be sending you back to live the life you did before, this would be something much, much better. I will give you a life that can be lived, as I know you have always wanted. You are also more than worthy to receive this gift, for you heart is pure, even in spite of the life you had to endure.'_

"But why me, I'm no one important, I'm just some dreg that the world forsook." I replied. Arcues shook its head and placed it's hoof on my shoulder.

' _Like I have said before Dante, you are not worthless. you matter to me. You are my child, and I care for all of my children.'_ It stated and shushed me before I could protest any further. _'Please stop my child, allow me to give you this gift and let you live once again._

I stayed silent and nodded, not wanting to start on argument with a god. He nodded back and tapped my forehead with a hoof and my consciousness left me as soon as he made contact.

* * *

"Someone turn off the lights." I groaned and tried moving my hand to shield my eyes, but found that to be impossible. My arm just wouldn't go up high enough to reach my face. I cracked an eye open to try and see the reasoning behind this, only to see a pitch black furred paw in front of me. I stared at it for a minute before trying to stand to my feet, which was just as impossible.

I ended up rolling onto all of my paws and standing up like I was on my hands and knees. I was surprised to find that this felt natural to me and took a few steps, trying to get used to my new, what I assumed, quadruped form. It wasn't really all that difficult to get used to my new form, but I really wanted to know what I was. From what I knew about Pokémon, I could take a reasonable guess that I was an Umbreon, if the yellow rings and jet black fur were any indication.

"Huh, Arceus wasn't kidding, he really gave me a second chance." I said to myself and did a little canine stretch before shaking out my fur, trying to fluff out the coat. I looked over next to me, seeing the still warm firepit I had used last night. "But why me."

I shook my head and started to wander in a random direction, going off to explore the world from my new perspective.

* * *

That was five years ago today. Since then I have wandered the world like I had always done, never staying in one place for too long. The only difference between now and then, was that I no longer feared the Pokémon out here. I trained and battled to survive, as a result, I was much stronger than I ever could have been in my previous form.

There were drawbacks I had to deal with for the longest time. I was still weak so I was easy picking for any wild Pokémon that decided to make me its next meal, and I have also had to deal with trainers constantly trying to capture me. For the longest time though, I believed Arcues was a liar. This life was not much better than the last.

I was still alone, homeless, and unloved. I was used to this life though, and simply chose to survive like I did before. I was not angry with it though, anger was an emotion I had long since forgot. I was never happy or sad, I just...was. I saw no point in emotions anymore, they would only serve to get you killed out here.

Emotions are what drive people and Pokémon to make poor decisions like the Mightyena that had attacked me last week. His emotions are what led him to attack me without any provocation except that I had entered his territory. He fell quickly, me barely breaking a sweat before knocking him unconscious.

I sighed at the memory. It has been a long time since I had fought a fight worth remembering. Nowadays my foes usually fell to just one Shadow Ball. I longed for a good battle, for that adrenaline rush that brought me excitement and even just a hint of joy, but alas, that hasn't happened in the least three years.

Even now, as I battled the trainer before me, I just couldn't get myself going. He had sent a Machoke at me, which fell like a domino from my assault. I was actually hoping he had at least something I could have a fair fight with, but he just scurried away after realizing that he stood no chance.

I sighed and started walking in the opposite direction that the trainer had ran in, intent on getting as far from any humans as possible. I was strong, but there was no doubt that he would come back with friends, and I could only take on so many at once. This meant I had to move once again, after only about a week of being here.

"Place is gonna be swarming with trainers when they hear there's an Umbreon nearby." I said and sat down next to the nearby stream. I lapped up some of the cool, crystal clear water to quench my thirst, then looked at my reflection from the surface of the water. What I saw was the face of an Umbreon staring back, its ruby red irises looking back into mine.

I still haven't gotten used seeing a Pokémon face staring back at me in the reflection. The fact that I was now one was difficult to comprehend, but here I was and how I have been for the last few years. Despite this change though, my life has pretty much stayed the same. The only difference was that I had better chance of survival than I did as a human.

My ears twitched when I heard a small disturbance behind me and pivoted to face behind me I crouched down and growled threateningly while I listened and waited for whatever was out there to show up.

"Easy there killer, no need to be like that." I heard someone say with a hint of amusement. The tone confused me and I picked myself up from my crouch slightly. "There we go, you look better when your not threatening me."

"Enough games, show yourself!" I growled and shot a small Shadow Ball in the direction I heard the voice coming from. A figure leapt from the bush and over the attack, landing squarely on its paws and looking back at the destroyed bush.

'A Jolteon?' The bright yellow and white fur stood out in contrast from the lush green forest as its dark brown eyes looked back at me. The Jolteon was probably male from the voice and the fact that it was slightly larger than a female.

"My, my, you've got some power now don't you? Almost took me out right there." He laughed. I narrowed my eyes in confusion and tilted my head, dropping my stance entirely. I didn't sense any ill intentions from him so I didn't worry too much about my well-being.

"Can I help you?" I asked as I turned around to face the stream again.

"No, but I think I can help you." He replied and sat down next to me. I glanced over at him, but otherwise didn't move.

"Elaborate please."

"Sure thing, first off, my name is Jules, pleasure to meet you Mr..."

"Dante." I stated and turned to look at him once again. "Now what did you mean by you could help me?"

"Well, I couldn't help but watch the battle you had with that trainer, and I think you're perfect for us."

"Who's us?"

"My clan." He answered. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I guessed I was in another Pokemon's territory, and this wasn't the first time I had received this invitation. I had stumbled upon the territory of a Houndoom a couple years ago. After seeing his entire scouting team fall to me, he extended an invitation into his pact as his bodyguard. I refused the offer though, not wanting to be used like I knew he would try to do to me.

"Thanks but no thanks." I said and got to my feet, starting to make my way out if the area. He cut me off though as he jumped ahead of me, blocking my path. I regarded him with a bored expression and he went about trying to convince me.

"Now come on, why would you refuse a chance to be part of the clan?" He asked.

"Because I have no desire to be used by some tyrant pack alpha."

"No, no, we have no alpha, we rule by council." He said, making me eye him questioningly.

"Council...now that's a new one, but the answer is still no, I can't really trust you, no offence." I had no desire to be made a fool either. I have a rule about listening and following people I just met...don't.

"Oh come on, will you at least come and see it, if you don't like it then you can go." He offered. I narrowed my eyes at him and asked.

"And how will I know you won't try and attack me?"

"I'm not stupid, there's no way I'd be able to take you on." He answered. I stared at him a little bit more while I contemplated his offer. I could tell my eyes were beginning to unnerve him as he awaited my response, his legs were getting restless and he looked to be pretty fidgety. I finally came to a conclusion and focused on him.

"Fine, I will see what you are offering me." I said before getting right up in his face with a threatening glare. "But if I discover that you are deceiving me, then I will end you and your clan. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, of course." He answered quickly and backed away from me before turning around and gesturing for me to follow him.

"I think you'll really like the clan, everyone there is an eeveeloution just like us so you'll fit right in. There are also some pretty females there if your looking to start a family, no better place to raise a kit." Jules started saying, but I couldn't care less. I was not going to get my hopes up until I laid eyes on this place.

The fact that he said that everyone there was an eeveeloution did intrigue me though. I had seen quite a few eeveeloution around here back when I was human, but I had no idea where they hung out at. Now I get to find out if its even worth my time.

The concept of a family also intrigued me. Family meant that you had a home, something I have never had before. It would mean I would be able to sleep without one eye open, to actually have someone care whether I was dead or alive...someone to love.

"I also have to tell you that, if you do choose to stay, you'd have to get approval from the council. If they approve of you staying, then you'll have a brand new home." I grunted too show I was still listening, but otherwise I didn't really care. While it sounds a lot better than some crummy pack, I wasn't going to give it the five star rating based on opinion.

"It's gonna be about a days trip till we reach the clan, so why don't you tell me a little more about yourself." I glanced at him briefly before putting my eyes back to the front.

"How about we just walk, I'm not the type for conversation." I said with finality. He nodded with a noticeable frown before turning to look ahead of him. I sighed when I realized in might have been a little hard on him. "I'm sorry Jules, its just that I haven't lived the best life so I have a hard time trusting anyone, heck this is the longest conversation I've held in five season's."

"Its okay, I kind of figured you were like that, you really do seem like the quiet brooding type." He said and reached out a paw to pat my back. I went absolutely ridged from the contact, and I had to hold myself back from reflexively snapping at him. "Now come on, if we hurry we can get there by sunup." He told me and started walking again with me trailing behind him.

 **Like I said, not all that great at intro's. Hopefully things will get better when I get back into my zone. Anyway, tell me what y'all think about the beginning, I love feedback so don't be afraid to send some.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again everyone, I'm back with another chapter of Umbra Aeternam. Hope this ones better than the least one.**

"Here it is, home sweet home" Jules announced as he and I stepped towards a large rock formation. I tilted my head in confusion as I investigated the rock, seeing no indication of an entrance. For a moment I feared that the Jolteon had led me astray and towards some kind of ambush.

"Do you need to get your eyes checked, its just a rock" I said and walked up to examine it further, and just as I expected, it was completely solid. I looked back at Jules with a questioning face, meeting his amused one.

"That's the beauty of it, sometimes the eyes can deceive" He replied and walked past me towards a small bush sitting adjacent to the formation. He reached a paw inside it and I heard a noticeable click before the ground began to rumble. I instinctively dropped into a defensive stance as I looked all around me, finally turning to see the rock actually start to move back from the wall, revealing a small cave entrance. I stared in aww at the technical genius these Pokémon seemed to possess.

"I know right, I reacted the same way the first time I saw it, now go ahead in. I'll meet you at the end, gotta go warn them your coming." With that said, he dashed off ahead of me into the darkness. I blinked as I looked at the entrance before shrugging it off and stepping up into the cave. I felt my paw sink about an inch after clearing the entrance, followed by the door quickly sliding back into place, enshrouding me in darkness. The lack of light posed no problem for me since I was a dark type, which blessed me with excellent night vision.

I made my way further through the twists and turns of the cave and finally rounded one last corner before being greeted by a faint patch of light in the distance. I ran towards the source of light, knowing that it had to lead to the exit, and skidded to a stop when I had finally reached it.

"Whoa." Was all I could say as I glanced all around at the scene before me. It was a giant clearing, possibly even bigger than Lumiose City back in Kalos, and it was filled to the brim with every known eeveeloution. Espeon, Sylveon, Flareon, they were only a few species I could see from my point of view. I saw a giant glacier, a field that rivaled a football stadium, a lake so large that even all of the lakes in Sinnoh combined would have been put to shame, and so much more. There was no way in the nine hells that this was natural, I looked like they dug out and discarded an entire mountain range just to build this.

"Impressive isn't it." I heard someone say from behind me, scaring the living daylight out of me. The being quickly found itself planted in the dirt with my paw held over its face. I released a sigh of relief after seeing it was only Jules. I apologized and helped him back up to his paws and lightly dusted him off with a paw. "Dang dude, you really are strong."

I shrugged and watched him go about stretching out his body and cracking his neck, releasing the kinks I had put in it during my reaction. After he was all set, he gestured for me to follow him again and ran ahead at a speed that only a Jolteon could achieve. I just followed him with my eyes as he ran down the little hill the exit was on and towards a large hut that looked to be of human design. He leapt through the entrance just as I started sauntering over to where he had gone.

I wondered why, during my peaceful walk to the hut, the Jolteon hadn't run back out to find out what was taking me so long to get there, but the sight behind the little curtain door gave me the answers I needed.

I saw that Jules was currently pinned beneath a slightly larger Glaceon, who looked like he was having a really good time annoying the mon.

"Come on bro, get off, your too heavy!" Jules shouted and intensified his thrashing to try and free himself from, who I assumed, was his brother.

"No way bud, you were gone for the last three days, you left me all alone. I worried so much about you." The Glaceon replied in an upset tone that I knew was fake.

"Seriously, I don't want you to embarrass me in front of my new friend!" I had that sneaking suspicion he was referring to me so I cleared my throat to try and gain their attention. It seemed to remedy the situation as they were both immediately too distracted to keep up their play fighting.

"Ooh, who's tall, dark, and handsome over here?" The Glaceon asked, instantly making me very uncomfortable. Jules seemed to have a similar reaction as he glared at his brother and punched him in the ribs.

"Dude, not cool." He scolded and looked at me with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about him, he prefers a males touch and isn't shy about letting anyone know about it."

I shrugged and did a quick look around the hut, seeing nothing of interest except a platform raised slightly higher than the rest of the wooden floor. In that moment of distraction, a certain someone took the opportunity to get _really_ close to me. I went rigid from the sudden coldness that made its way onto my side.

"I'm also not shy about telling anyone what I really want." I heard the Glaceon whisper into my ear. I barely managed to hold myself back from tossing this guy through the wall.

"JESSIE!" Jules shouted and tackled his brother, making the now identified Jessie fly back and out of the entrance. "What you get you freaking pervert!"

I blinked at the sight of this 'Brotherly love' I was witnessing. I stopped him from apologizing for his brothers actions, letting him know that I really didn't care. He nodded and walked over to a small podium situated next to the raised platform, which held a small slab of stone with multiple etches in it. I recognized it as the Pokémon written language, something I was amazed to find actually existed in the first place.

"Alright, we need to make an appointment with the council...look at that, seems there free for tonight, how convenient." He said and used his claw to write a message directly on the slab. I had no idea what he wrote though since I couldn't read PokéRunes in the first place.

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" I asked, making him pause mid-scratch. He turned to give me a confident smirk that actually intrigued me.

"Nope, cause I'm confident I can get you to want to stay by tonight." He stated and finished his writing.

"You wouldn't be the first one to try and convince me to do something, let's see if you can actually do it." I smirked, hoping he understood I was offering him a challenge. He caught on quickly and grinned before literally dragging me out the door.

"Oh I will, mark my words, I will convince you to stay and be my friend."

"Friend? I thought you just wanted me to stick around." I said after hearing that word again. He had already referred to me as his friend once, now he's saying he will convince me to both stay with the clan, and him.

"I do, but if you stay, you'll be my friend since all of the clan is my friend. Were all friends Dante, we all care and support each other. That's what family does." He stated, confusing me. I didn't quite understand how one could be both family and friend at the same time. Course there was a lot on that subject I didn't understand since I never had either.

"So your saying that, if I stay here, you and the rest of the clan would become both friends and family?"

"Exactly, see you get it." He instantly answered without any hint of deception in his tone. He was telling the honest truth...this got me thinking about staying, but I was still nowhere near being convinced yet. "Now come on, quickly, there's so much I have to show you."

If I had a berry for every time he told me to come on, I'd already be set for winter. The guy seemed way too excitable, but that was probably just the Jolteon he was.

"First we'll check out the field, its where a lot of the practice battles take place, as well as a few tournaments we hold every once in awhile."

"Tournaments?" I've never heard of a pack of wild Pokémon holding tournaments before.

"Yep, every year we hold a tournament to find out who's the strongest one in the clan. The winner of it all gets a lot of respect from the council and clan as well as a full month of off duty relaxation." Jules looked about ready to drool just from the thought of winning such a prize.

"I see...sounds like fun." I might have to watch it when this tournament kicks off, that's if I stay.

"It really is, I think you'd really shine in it, if your throwing me all over the place, then you'd have to be strong enough to win." I shrugged again and looked ahead at the field I saw when I first walked in. It seemed so much larger from here, it would probably take me over a minute to reach the other side in a full sprint.

"So, is this place used for anything else besides battling?" I asked, to which Jules replied by pointing behind me to a large group of eeveeloutions laying around the field, enjoying the heat of the sun.

"It's a good place to just relax and take a load off, I've even found myself here once or twice." I nodded and walked forward to try and scour the field for anything of interest, only to be dragged off once again towards another little habitat, as I have deemed it. I now found myself in front of the giant iceberg, unconsciously shivering from the sudden drop in temperature. "And here's the iceberg, its where's we store all of our food so it stays good for just a little longer. Its also the place to go on a hot summers day, unless you're a Flareon or Leafeon, they like I hot." I guess there was some kind of inside joke here since he had started giggling to himself. I stared at him like he was crazy before shaking my head moving forward to lay down on the cold stone below me.

"Hey, what are you doing, there's still so much I have to show you" he whined and tried to drag me out of there by my tail. I simply glanced back at him and curled up to rest, knowing he couldn't drag me out no matter how hard he tried.

"I've already seen everything, I know you want to take me to the lake next, and I really don't care. I just want to sleep for the first time in two days, so please let me be." I was basically begging him to leave me alone now, just wanting to let my body rest. The cool weather has always been my weakness, the feel of the cold against my fur made my fatigue even greater than it was before. I know it has been the death of me before, but that doesn't mean I don't still like it.

"But if I let you stay here, how will I convince you to stay in the clan?" I sighed and picked my head up to look into his eyes.

"Listen Jules, I know your going about trying to convince me to stay and all, which confuses the crap out or me by the way, but trust me when I say this. I won't leave right away unless I am told to. If I find a place I can feel safe at, then I won't leave it right away. I don't actually plan on leaving dude, not until I deem it necessary for me to, so you can relax." I more or less said that to get him to leave me, but behind everything I say is a hint of truth. I planned on staying as soon as I had seen how well hidden this place was, I just kept telling myself I wouldn't so I would stay convincing.

"Really, so you'll stay?" he asked hopefully. I nodded and watched him start to jump around in joy, laughing at how childish he truly was. "Yay, I have a new friend!"

"Let me stop you right there" I said, making him put a halt in his merry celebration. "I don't mean to sound harsh, but you are not my friend." The kid actually looked pretty hurt from my statement, I even saw his eyes moisten up a little.

"What, why?" he asked near tears.

"Because I don't trust you, we are still strangers to each other, it's a miracle I even followed you here in the first place. I'm going to get to know you better over time, and if I like what I learn, then we can be friends. Until then, we are strictly acquaintance, nothing more." He took on a crestfallen look, but nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah...okay, I guess I'll leave you alone for awhile. Feel free to walk around and explore the place, just don't destroy anything and I'll come fetch you tonight before the council meeting." After saying this, he kind of just left me alone, much to my surprise. I was amazed that he would leave a stranger alone in his home territory, knowing how strong I truly was. In the end, I didn't really think too hard on it since I truly didn't care enough to worry about it too much.

'Brain, shut up' I mentally sighed and snuggled further into myself, letting my fatigue take over and finally put me into a deep sleep that I haven't achieved since I was born.

* * *

"Excuse me...excuse me." I heard someone say as I felt something poking my side lightly. I raised my head with a yawn and drowsily looked to my side where I saw a small ball of brown and white fluff staring back at me.

"Yes?" I asked the little eevee. The kid looked about ready to cry as I watched him frantically look around the area.

"Can you help me find my mommy?" I sighed and rose to my feet, stretching out my stiff muscles before turning to the sky, noticing that the sun was well past its median. I guessed I had been asleep for about seven hours, the longest I had ever slept. I still had about two hours before nightfall, so I guess I'd help the kid out.

"Sure thing bud, what does she look like?"

"Well, she's an Espeon with a blue crystal on her forehead, that's what she told me to tell someone if I got lost." I nodded and gestured for him to follow me as I started walking off in a random direction. He obediently followed and stuck close to me, making me glance down at him in surprise.

Does he really trust me enough to see me as a protective entity already. I would never have gotten this close to someone I had just met, especially if I was a child. Maybe its just how he was raised, to not see a threat when he see's an eeveeloution.

"Alright kid, do you know where she might be now?" He stared down in thought before looking back up at me with an unsure expression.

"I don't know, she always too busy running around the clan so she's never in the same place for a really long time." I sighed and started to ask around for any Espeon that fit the description. It honestly took me no time to find someone who could identify the kids mother. The vaporeon told me that she would probably be around the field trying to find her son since that's where she usually took him.

"I never asked, what's your name kid?" I asked the kit that basically walked right under me as we made our way towards the field.

"My names Riley...what's yours?" he asked back.

"Dante, pleasure to meet you Riley." I smiled and looked down at the kit as he walked between my forepaws. I felt weird being so close to the kit, to be around someone who was still so small and innocent. He knew nothing about how cruel the world was, he was experiencing something I never could. It actually brought a tear to my eye as I felt a drop of moisture stain the fur under my eye.

"Mr. Dante, are you alright?" he asked, noticing the wetness on my face. I nodded and reached a paw up to dry my fur. He looked like he was about to question me over the matter further, but was interrupted when he was suddenly picked up by an unknown force and went flying forward, only to be stopped right in front of an espeon.

"Oh Riley, my sweet baby boy!" I heard her cry out as she nuzzled the kit. That's when I noticed the large blue crystal on her forehead, telling me that this was his mother. I smiled at the reunion as I watched the kit giggle as he nuzzled his mother back. "Where did you go, I was so scared I would never find you."

"I got lost by the glacier mommy, that's where I met Mr. Dante, he helped me look for you." The espeon was now looking directly at me, her light purple eyes staring through me and right into my soul. I shivered under her gaze and smiled the best I could. She smiled back and calmly made her way towards me before curling her neck around mine in a canine version of a hug.

"Hello Dante, my name is Esther and I would like to offer you my sincerest gratitude for finding my son and returning him to me" she said with a bow.

"It wasn't a problem, I had little else to do." I smiled and calmly sat down before her. She smiled back and took her time to respond further, using the moment of silence to examine my form.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you before."

"You probably haven't, if you did then you would have been a long way from home" I said. She tilted her head curiously and I felt something poking my head, trying to get through to my mind. I knew she was trying to read my mind, as most Psychic types are notorious for doing, but failed to get though to my brain thanks to my typing.

"You know, all you have to do is ask, no need for the attempt at mind reading." She looked momentarily surprised at my comment until a small smile graced her lips.

"That would be most wise, would it not, very well then, my first question, why are you here?" She asked.

"Jules brought me here, says I could be of use to the clan or whatever."

"Of use how?"

"Not sure, I'm a strong battler so maybe a guard or scout or whatever they need me to do" I said with a shrug. She nodded and momentarily stopped her questioning to look down at her son as he curled up underneath her to take a nap. I smiled down at the adorable little kit as he tugged at my heart strings with his sheer cuteness.

"He's a pretty lucky kid" I thought out loud, catching Esther's attention.

"Why is that?" she asked, turning her attention back to me.

"He's lucky that he has a mother to raise and care for him...something I wish I could have had." I said the last part quietly, hoping to keep it to myself. I had forgotten how well tuned a Pokemon's ears can be, so she heard that entire sentence no problem.

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that." I waved off her concern and sighed to myself.

"No need to apologize, it is something I have not concerned myself over for a very long time. Please forget I ever even mentioned it." She nodded and asked me a few more questions before picking up her son, bidding me farewell since she was needed elsewhere at the moment. I found myself left alone in the field now, which was completely barren. I briefly wondered where everyone was before I noticed that the sun had now disappeared past the horizon, bathing the place in moonlight.

"Dude, what are you still doing here, your gonna miss the meeting, wouldn't look good since its over you staying here" I heard Jules say from behind me and I turned to look at him. I nodded and stood up to my paws, following close behind him as he led me to the meeting.

"Large numbers of Pokémon all discussing about me and asking questions about my personal life...what could go wrong" I joked, earning a chuckle out of Jules.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long, you'll be a fully fledged member of the pack in just a few hours."

Though I didn't voice it, I sure hoped he was right.

 **There ya go, chapter 2 is up and running. As always, if you liked it, click that fave button and make me feel better about myself, and don't be afraid to leave a comment.**

 **Bigshot out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Gotta say, the amount of views this story is getting is pretty disheartening, but I'm not gonna stop. Like I do with all of my writing, its only for fun and entertainment. If other people read and like it, then great. But enough about that, go on and read while I sit back and watch quietly.**

"Jeez, just how many Pokémon are in this clan?" I muttered while I gazed at the large group of eeveeloutions that surrounded the large hut. I don't even think this was all of them either, since it was probably well past everyone's bed time, kit or adult. Even I, a being of the night, found myself growing drowsy under the crescent moons light shining down on me from above.

"Quite a lot, I'm not really sure how many, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say there's around two hundred, but I've got a feeling I'm nowhere near the correct number" Jules replied, making me stare at him in shock.

"Good God, I didn't even know there were that many eeveeloutions in this part of the world." Over two hundred of us, just in one place...its a freaking trainers paradise. If anyone ever discovered this area, then they'd definitely have a whole army of trainers busting down those doors and charging in, balls blazing(...hahaha).

"Yep, and its growing everyday."

"You don't think that will become a problem?" I asked, referring to the increase in consumption of food. He shook his head and gestured over to the iceberg far behind us.

"Nope, we stock that thing up to the brim each and every day. We built it like a tunnel that goes really deep so we can store a lot at once, and we send out scouts every couple of days to bring in as many berry's as they can find so we never run out," he explained. I nodded in understanding, trying to hide my surprise at how well they handled the food situation here. It was actually pretty efficient now that I think about it, and it must be working since everyone here looks happy and healthy.

"Huh, never seen a pack work like that."

"Not a pack, a clan" he corrected. I just gave him that whatever look and kept my mouth shut for the remainder of the trip. I could feel everyone's eyes locked on me as I made weaved my way through the crowd, making my way towards the middle. I guessed this was where I needed to be since no one else was anywhere near it, and when I reached it, all conversation came to a halt.

You know that feeling you get when you know your being watched behind your back? Well multiply that by about ten and add the intimidation factor of every single eeveeloution variant staring you down from their little perch on the raised platform. It was enough to my hackles bristle and I had to force down every instinct I had as they tried putting me in a fight or flight response.

"This meeting will now come to order!" I heard a strong female voice shout and I turned my attention ahead at the one who spoke, seeing a regal looking espeon addressing the crowd. She stood at the head of the council, so I guessed she must have been the one in charge of the whole show.

"We are gathered in this council hall to discuss the fate of the one named Dante." I wondered how she knew my name in the first place, but I guessed it had something to do with Jules, that left me wondering why she was speaking so professionally, this was a clan of Pokémon, not the Supreme Court.

My thoughts ran blank when her eyes met mine, those pure lilac pools burying right past me and into my very soul. I know that this feeling was brought on by most espeon, but hers seemed to run so much deeper. I involuntarily shuddered under her gaze before she finally relented and turned to those beside her. When she did this, another one of the council stood up to take her place. The Leafeon wasn't any better at putting me at ease, those eyes of hers seeming to hold a glare right at me.

I knew this tactic all to well. They were trying to bore that fear and malice into my head so I would be more likely to tell the truth, or risk getting hurt.

"Hello Dante, my name is Ivy, and I will be conducting your trial tonight." She spoke with a soft voice that would have put me at ease, had those eyes not been looking down at me.

'Ivy huh, original' I mentally chuckled and calmly sat down in the very center of the hut, smirking slightly at all of them.

"Well then, lets not keep this waiting, I'm sure these Pokémon don't want to be here all night." I said, surprising them at my care free tone. They obviously thought I would have been too scared to be so nonchalant about this, but it takes a lot more than a few empty glares to frighten me.

"Um...okay then" she said, not really knowing how to respond. "First off, what is your intentions of being here?"

I shrugged, "I have no intentions, I was asked to come here, so I came, simple as that."

"How do we know we can trust you?" she asked after nodding at my last answer.

"Honestly, you can't, I don't expect you to. I'm a stranger in your home, someone you know absolutely nothing about other than my name, so trusting me now would make me call you an idiot." I stated bluntly. They shot me another surprised look at the way I answered the questions. They probably weren't used to questioning someone like me, someone that showed no fear under their eyes.

"You are rather blunt and straight to the point aren't you?" I heard the Glaceon ask. I turned my attention to him and shrugged.

"No point in lying or trying to come up with reasons for you to trust me. To tell you the truth, I really don't care if you tell me to leave or stay. If I can stay, then great, if you tell me to leave, then so be it. I will follow through with your decisions, no complaints." Ivy tilted her head, a small smile adorning her muzzle.

"My, you really are quite interesting aren't you...next question, would you be willing to tell us a little bit about your past?"

"You sure you wanna hear my life story, its not exactly a happy one" I warned. She nodded, despite my warning, and I sighed. "Very well...I guess my life was what you would call...less than satisfactory, just to put it nicely. My parents abandoned me soon after I hatched, how I survived, I have no idea, so don't ask me. As far as I could remember about my past, I was always a wanderer, never staying in one place for too long. I evolved about five years ago and trained myself to become stronger so I could try and establish my own territory, but I never followed through with that idea, meaning I was still a wanderer. That's when I met Jules and he brought me here. I guess that's pretty much it." I answered, modifying the story a little so they didn't figure out what I truly was. They all gave me that sympathetic look, but I hoped they didn't see it as some kind of sob story. I didn't need their pity.

"I'm sorry to hear about that, no one should have to grow up like that." I just shrugged and asked to continue the trial, not wanting to dwell on it.

"Okay, one final question, If you were allowed to stay, what will you be able to contribute to the clan?"

"I'll help whatever way I can, I'm a good battler so I can be used as a scout or a teacher for any of the newly evolved Umbreon. I'm also very good at foraging and hunting, as well as a number of skills required for survival in the wild," I answered, trying to be as truthful, but as humble as possible. I didn't want to sound like I was bragging about my abilities, not wanting them to think I was some kind of arrogant prick.

Ivy nodded and stepped back to converse with her fellow council members.

"You may leave, we will discuss this matter and come up with a decision in the morning. In the meantime, Jules will show you to one of the empty dens for you to rest until we come to our decision." I nodded and followed Jules through the crowd and out the door, along with all the Pokémon that had managed to squeeze in there to watch the trial.

"See, that didn't take too long." I glanced at Jules, offering him a shrug and turning back forward. "So where do you want to live? Glacier, lake, tell me and I'll make it happen."

"You decide, I'm not real picky about where I lay my head as long as its dry and comfortable." I said uninterestedly and sat down, waiting for him to come up with something. He thought about it for a few minutes before springing to his feet, an excited look on his face.

"I known the perfect spot, follow me." Just like that, he was off, practically dragging me off behind him. He ran off in a direction I've never been and eventually led me to a forest. I tilted my head in question as I looked up at the trees. "Over here."

I turned my head back to him to see him standing next to a small hole in the side of the hill. I guessed that this was one of the dens that Ivy mentioned and walked past Jules and into the hole. What was inside didn't really surprise me, it looked just like a regular cave. The only things that made it stand out was a few shelves and holes carved in the rock as well as a large patch of dead leaves and grass, making a makeshift sleeping area. It actually looked like a pretty cozy little home and I actually felt a little happy at the thought of actually being able to call it that.

"Yes, this will do." I smiled and moved to sit down on the bedding. Jules followed me and sat down next to me, smiling at my expression.

"You know, I think that's the first time I've seen you actually smile a genuine smile." I turned to look at him, that smile still on my muzzle.

"I know...I think it's the first time I actually smiled in the first place. Never really had much to smile about." His face suddenly turned sad at the mention of this. He scooted closer and nuzzled my neck to comfort me, despite me not needing comfort.

"I'm sorry to hear that you had such a hard life. I couldn't imagine growing up without my parents, heck they still treat me like a little kit, but I guess I never truly appreciated them until I heard your story. My smile faded as a sigh escaped my muzzle.

"Yes...sadly no one ever truly appreciates something until its gone. I never had the opportunity to know my parents, and I have a feeling that I would never have wanted to in the first place."

"Why, wouldn't you want to see the ones who conceived you?"

I shook my head in response. "If they had no qualms with leaving a defenseless child in the middle of the wilderness with no way of fending for himself, then I would rather rip their throats out before even thinking about wanting to actually meet them." I snarled, feeling anger rise in my heart. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down, not wanting to suddenly lose it in front of the Jolteon. I couldn't believe I was suddenly feeling all of these emotions again, after nearly forgetting about them in the first place.

"Oh...sorry for bringing it up, I didn't mean to make your emotions flare up like that." I sighed, once again, and looked back at the lightning Pokémon with my smile back in place.

"No need to apologize, I honestly have no idea where that came from. I haven't felt these emotions in years. Anger, happiness, joy, spite, are all so new to me now, and I don't really know his to handle it all." He nodded and scotted closer, placing a paw on my back.

"Any way I can help?" My smile widened ever so slightly at his offer, but I shook my head no.

"I just need some time to think and relax, I'll feel better in the morning." I looked at him again, a pinch of fear in my eyes. "Jules...can I admit something to you?"

"Of course, I'm all ears buddy." He perked both his ears in my direction as he turned around fully to face me.

"This isn't easy for me to admit but...to be honest with you...I'm scared." I said this in a near whisper. I don't know why I would have told him anything in the first place. Maybe I just needed someone to confide in and he was the only one I really knew.

"What for, your completely safe with the clan, everyone will treat you fair, and you'll never have to go to bed hungry."

"I know...that's why I'm worried...I know I seemed like I didn't care if I stayed or not, but in reality, I'm scared out of my wits. I don't want to lose the one chance I have at having an actual home instead of living in a hovel in the middle of some random forest like I have since I was born." I was now on the verge of tears, all of my bottled up emotions were finally escaping, and I hated it. I felt weak, like everything I've done to suppress the memories was useless as I recalled each and every second of my wretched life.

Every night I went to bed hungry and cold, unable to find even a scrap of food and not being able to find the proper materials to construct a shelter or even start a fire. I lived on my own for so long that I forgot how good it felt to feel like you mattered. No one here has treated me like some piece of trash that society didn't give half a shit about, they treated me like a person...Pokémon.

"I don't want to be alone anymore" I cried and suddenly buried my face in Jules neck, his fur muffling my sobs. I couldn't imagine how surprised he was to see me, a calm and collected Umbreon at first glance, showing his true emotions like this.

"Its okay, you won't have to be, I've got a good feeling they'd let you stay, and my guts never lied to me before," he said, rubbing my back with his paw. I slowly pulled myself together and pulled away from him. The spot were I hid my face at was now a little damp from my tears, so I bowed my head and apologized for it.

"No need to apologize, sometimes we all need to let out a little emotion, get rid of some of the pain." I smiled at his understanding and pulled him into a hug. How long its been since I ever showed my emotions to anyone...actually he was the first. I still don't know why I trust him so much, despite knowing him for about a day or two. In the end, I didn't really care, as long as I had someone to talk to, to be there for me when I need them.

"Thank you Jules...for everything" I whispered.

"No problem, I'm glad I could be here for you." He smiled and laid down next to me after I offered to let him sleep here with me tonight. "Good night Dante" he said after making himself comfortable. I glanced back at him and whispered, just loud enough for him to hear me.

"Good night...friend."

 **So, chapter 3...what did ya think?**

 **Good, bad, so-so, please tell me. If no one says anything, how will I know how to improve.**

 **Anyway, please do me a solid and leave me something to enjoy, be that a fave, follow, or review. Till next time, I'm out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sup everyone, I'm back again. Honestly didn't think I'd get another chapter done as soon as I did, I've just had a lot of free time on my hand. Least I did till life happened, but I'm not gonna get into that.**

"So, are you nervous?" Jules asked from his spot on the field. I picked my head up from the ground and tilted it questioningly.

"No, why would I be nervous? I'm relaxing in the open field with my friend, what would I be nervous about?" I asked back. He just gave me a deadpan look as he pointed up to the sun with a paw. "Yes, it's the sun, what about it?"

"What does the sun signify?"

"Day, light, heat, etc."

"Yes, and what was today, yesterday?"

"...oh, I get it now" I smiled embarrassedly and hung my head a little. Today was the day they were supposed to decide my fate here at the clan. They'll either tell me to stay and live with the clan, or leave and never come back, so yeah, I was pretty nervous.

"Yeah...I'm nervous, but not as much as I'd thought I'd be" I admitted, rubbing my paws together. I hoped they'd let me stay, to welcome me into the family, but I didn't get my hopes up in case they told me to leave.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'd let you stay" he said to comfort me. I shrugged in response, not really having anything else to say on the matter. A moment of silence passed between us, allowing me to meditate on everything that's happened so far.

"So...what do you plan on doing if you stay?" He asked, making me tilt my head.

"Elaborate."

"I mean what job will you choose? Everyone in the pack has a main job they perform on a daily basis, unless the guild needs them to do something else," he explained. I turned my head towards the sky, pondering on that question.

"I'm not completely sure...I could be a scout or something, but that's not really what I want, so I don't really know."

"Can I make a suggestion?" I nodded for him to continue. "How about you become a teacher? The newly evolved Umbreon don't really have a teacher, and you even said that you could teach back at the Council meeting." I did say that didn't I...great, just volunteered to teach a bunch of newly evolved dark type punks who probably think there total hotshots. I wasn't profiling them or anything, but that's just usually how all dark types are when they just evolve. Its annoying as hell, but can usually be beaten out of them with a battle or two.

"Maybe, we'll have to see." I shrugged and looked up at the bright morning sky. "So, is there anything you want to do till we hear from the council?" he looked quite surprised by my question.

"You...wanna hang out with me?" he asked with a face of utter disbelief.

"Sure, why not, got nothing else to do, and you seem like a pretty cool guy" I told him, earning a wide smile from the Jolteon.

"Alright then...let's go see if one of my friends is free. He's a nice guy, I think you'd like him" he said, getting up and walking off in the direction of the lake.

"So tell me a little about your friend" I said after reaching the halfway point between the lake and the field.

"Well, he's a Vaporeon for starters, really nice guy that always goes out of his way to help others. He's a little shy though, so you gotta go slow with him. It'll take a good minute, but he'll come out of his shell once he realizes how nice you are." He said this with a fond look in his eye. I'm guessing he was reminiscing some good times the two had together.

"You two close?"

"I'd like to think so, we've been together since we hatched," he answered, to which I nodded. There was quite a long silence between us before Jules worked up the courage to ask me a personal question.

"So...did you ever have any friends out there?" I glanced over to him with a brow raised. It looked like it took all he had just to ask that question. He was suddenly all nervous and jittery, like he had just asked me to murder somebody or something.

"Fraid not, I was a loner, didn't have time for friends when your trying to survive." He seemed to be saddened by my answer and even came closer to nuzzle me comfortingly.

"I'm sorry to hear that...I can't imagine how it must have been."

"I got over it, I didn't really need friends till now," I said apathetically. That seemed to be the end of his questions since he was silent for the remainder of the trip. This meant that it was a pretty boring walk to the lake, that is until a certain someone almost got ran over by an overzealous Vaporeon.

"Whoa, watch out Ray!" Jules shouted, instantly recognizing the Vaporeon. I wondered how these Pokémon were able to tell each other apart so easily, it took me a few good minutes just to recognize myself against other Umbreon.

"Sorry Jules, can't talk, I'm late!" Ray shouted back behind him, not stopping to talk to us. Me and Jules shared a look before bounding off after the water jet Pokémon.

"You know what he's late for?" I asked my friend as we followed close behind his other friend, or so I guessed.

"I'm not sure, but he's heading towards the field so we'll know soon enough," he shouted back, running ahead of me to catch up with his friend. I groaned after hearing this bit of information, feeling like the walk we made over to the lake was for absolutely nothing. "Try not to fall behind."

I grinned at his challenge and sped up so I was now outpacing Ray, but was till hopelessly outmatched against Jules and his natural speed. We reached the field in record time though, to which I promptly fell flat on my chest, completely out of breath. Jules looked like he hadn't even gotten winded, making it look like that nearly two mile sprint seem like nothing.

"Looks like I win" he gloated and trapped around the field like he was all that. All that got him though, was a Shadow Ball right to the chest. I weakened it enough not to hurt too much, but still have enough force behind it to knock him off his paws.

"No one likes a braggart" I glared at him before letting out a soft chuckle at the way he acted like it actually hurt.

"Ow, it hurts, it hurts" he cried and rolled up into himself. I rolled my eyes and nudged him with a paw, then with my snout, until I was just straight up rolling him over with my body. We just so happened to be on a hill too, so now he was just barreling down that steep incline like a freight train, until a group of unfortunate eevee stopped him with their bodies. I cringed at the sight and was about to go and check to make sure both parties were okay, but stopped when I saw all the eevee laughing and jumping all over him while he just laughed and feebly tried pushing them off.

"Well, it seems the little ones finally found a new friend" I heard someone say from behind me. I looked back to see a Sylveon, much to my surprise, walking up to me. I never would have expected to see a Sylveon here, especially since I didn't think they could naturally evolve into one out here in the wild, maybe I could ask her about it later.

"It would seem so" I stated and took a seat to watch Jules playing with all of the kits.

"Your Dante right?" she asked. I nodded and looked to her again. I saw her smiling happily at me and looked down to see one of her ribbons was now only inches from actually touching me. "My names Angie, but you can call me Angel, it's a pleasure to meet you."

I smiled back at her and raised a paw letting her ribbon wrap around it and giving me a sort of handshake.

"Likewise." Her feeler stayed wrap around my paw for a few minutes after we introduced ourselves, not that I minded since her feelers were incredibly soft on my paw pads. I didn't think much on that and looked back at Jules as he ran around, being chased around by the kits while he held another one up in his jaws by the scruff of their necks.

"I feel bad for having to separate them, but the kits really must get back to their training."

"Oh, you're their teacher?" I asked, actually being caught by surprise.

"I know, surprising right, that's what they all say when they see me for the first time." She giggled and lightly brushed against me as she walked past me and towards the group of energetic eevee. Thank God I had such dark fur, cause if it was even a shade lighter, then I would have been blushing ebony. At least that what color I think I'd be since I've never actually seen myself blush. "In the meantime, I'm sure the Umbreon can use a teacher that's experienced instead of that rookie Jade."

I followed her suggestion immediately, trying my hardest to think about anything but that little touch.

'Relax Dante, probably just an accident' I thought as I looked around for a moment, seeing nothing of interest, until I spotted a group of Umbreon all sitting in a semicircle, facing another Umbreon.

"Must be the class for the Umbreon" I said, stating the obvious. I walked over, looking like I was paying no interest to them, while I eavesdropped on the lesson.

"Okay, um...first thing we'll learn today is how to use the move Night Slash." I could instantly tell that the teacher had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He sounded way too young to be teaching anyone in the first place. "Alright, to do a Night Slash, you have to...um."

'This is just painful' I cringed as he froze up, unable to finish his sentence.

"Are you okay Jade?" One of the Umbreon asked as the rest of them waited restlessly while their teacher remained silent.

"You have to channel your inner darkness." All eyes were now on me as I made my way over, a Night Slash powering up in my claws. "All creatures have darkness in their hearts, contrary to popular belief this does not make anyone evil. While darkness is in all of us, we dark types are more in tune with it, giving us the ability to channel it in whatever form we so choose."

They looked down at my claws as a sinister energy was starting to build up until they were the color of pure obsidian.

"Think of this power as something as simple as your leg. You must tell your leg to move, even if you don't directly think about doing it."

"Wait a second, who are you?" The teacher asked, finally returning to the earth since he was no longer the center of attention.

"Someone who knows what he's doing greenhorn" I simply stated. He looked like he was about to protest for me, A, interrupting his class and, B, calling him a greenhorn. At least he was before he caught sight of the subtle glare I sent his way. The look pretty much made him lose any and all confidence as he slowly slinked back till he was now a member of the semicircle.

"Now please, do exactly as I ask." No one raised their voice in argument, only looked at me with their undivided attention. "Close your eyes and control your breathing."

They did as they were told, closing their eyes and all beginning to breath in unison.

'Didn't mean it that literally but okay.'

"Now, I need you to think of negative thoughts, this will make it easier to perform your moves early on."

"Yes sir" they all said and after about a minute or two, their faces scrunched up with mixed emotions of fear, anger, pain, and sadness.

"Now concentrate those feelings, picture all of the negative energy and move it. Don't try and force it, let it flow through your veins like water. Now, once you can feel the energy in your core, channel it into your claws." I said this while increasing the energy in my claws, making my Night Slash much bigger and deadlier. I saw the rest of them do the same as their claws began to grow and sharpen, but they weren't concentrating their energy right.

"Wrong!" I yelled, breaking their concentration and making their claws instantly grow back to normal. I brought my paw up, my Night Slash still holding up. "Your claws should emanate your dark energy. If you don't focus your energy, then you will never unlock your true power." I explained and made them repeat the process until I saw at least one of them do it successfully.

"Good, come stand beside me and keep practicing" I told him, then told each and everyone of them that got it right. This was so I could focus on the one's who hadn't quite got it right yet, instead of trying to teach all of them at once if one of them couldn't do it yet.

After only a few minutes, the circle was almost completely empty, save for one lone female. She looked like she was trying her hardest to do it, but the power was simply not coming.

"What's the matter young one?" I asked after watching her try for the longest time, but each time ending in failure. She took on a crestfallen look as she hung her head sadly.

"I...I can't do it" she nearly sobbed.

"I'm gonna stop you right there kid. You are not pulling that cliché on me" I said, catching her attention as she looked up at me, her eyes misty.

"But-"

"No buts, I don't wanna hear it" I immediately replied before she could finish her sentence. I got right in her face and looked her square in the eye. "There is no such thing as can't, so I don't ever want to hear you say that word again. The word can't is nothing more than an excuse not to try. You need to stop saying I can't, and start saying I can." I backed off and calmly sat down in front of her. I could feel the rest of the groups eyes on me, my little outburst catching their attention, but I didn't pay them any mind.

"Say it with me, I can" I ordered.

"...I...can" she said hesitantly.

"I can."

"I...can" she repeated, a little more confidently.

"I can"."

"...I can."

"I still not hearing you."

"I can" she stated in a normal tone.

"Louder."

"I can" she said, just a bit louder.

"I SAID LOUDER!"

"I CAN DO IT!" she practically screamed as she suddenly formed a powerful Night Slash and swipe at a nearby tree, nearly cutting it in half. She, along with the rest of them, stared at the tree in shock and amazement. All while I was thinking that I traded one cliché for another.

'Great, now I'm one of those people' I thought in amusement before walking up next to the girl and patting her on the back.

"See, told you could do it. Alright, practice on those boulders over there, I want to see them either marked deep, or cut in half." They all complied with the order and went about using their Night Slashes on the many boulders that littered the field. I saw a group of leafeon doing the same to the rocks so I assumed it was okay.

"Dude, you are an amazing teacher" I heard Jules shout as he ran up from behind me and leapt to my side. I glanced over at him for a moment before turning back to watch the children go about trying to cut into the solid stone.

"Not really, I just know how to do a few moves. I was self taught, so the fact that I could teach anything to anyone is amazing to me."

"As well as to me." I turned back after hearing a voice I'd never heard before. What I saw was another Umbreon, this one much older than I, walking towards me calmly.

"Oh, hello Zane, what brings you around here?" Jules asked. The older Pokémon looked over at the younger Jolteon with a smile before turning back to focus on me.

"Well, I was sent down here to inform Dante on the councils decision about him making his home here, as well as coming to see how well Jade was doing as the teacher of his group. I'm guessing that, since you were the one teaching them, he froze up again.

"Yes sir, I couldn't stand seeing him like that so I stepped in, I hope you don't mind."

"Oh no, not at all," he chuckled and leaned a little closer to my ear, "and between you and I, Jade has absolutely so business being a teacher."

"My thoughts exactly" I whispered back with a smile. That's when I remembered why he had come to find me in the first place and backed off a little, my smile long gone. "So, what's your decision?"

He responded by closing his eyes and bending his front legs down, bowing to me.

"Dante, on behalf of myself, the council, and the entire clan, I would like to welcome you into our family."

 **Okay, chapter 4 is all done. Don't forget to tell me what y'all think, and don't be afraid to criticize, as many have done, to which I am thankful. Just please don't freaking flame me, cause that's just plain mean.**

 **Also, if it is an extended response, please send it as a PM instead of a review, makes it easier on me.**


	5. Chapter 5

"I still can't believe it, it all feels so surreal" I told Jules as we rested near the lake. It had been almost twelve hours since I had been told I would be able to stay, and I was still no where near getting over my surprise. Jules on the other hand, he didn't seem to be even the slightest bit shocked by the announcement. In fact he took in stride and proceeded to tackle me into an unexpected hug while going on and on about his friend getting to stay.

"Get used to it buddy, cause this is the first day of the rest of your life" he happily stated and somehow wrapped his arm around my shoulder. There was no way this position could have been comfortable for him, his legs not really built to do something like this, so I quickly ended that little moment by moving out and in front of him, looking out into the crystal blue water.

"Its just...strange...getting to stay in one place" I sighed and dipped a paw into the cool water, slowly swirling it around thoughtfully.

"Don't worry, you'll really like it here, you won't even remember the life you used to live out there." I glanced back at him and sighed. That was the problem...I didn't want to forget. The entire time I was out in the woods, I constantly had to remind myself of who I was, making sure I didn't become what I had already, if that even makes any sense. If I live here, where the threat of me losing my humanity is low, is where it would be most high. I didn't want to succumb to instincts like most did...maybe I'm just over thinking things, I tend to do that a lot. "What are you thinking about buddy?"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the question, ironically enough, and turned back to look at him fully. He looked a little concerned about my little fade out right there, but I didn't want him to worry about me.

"Its nothing bud, just got a lot on my mind" I told him before standing up and stretching out. "Now come on, its almost noon, wouldn't want to be late for our first official teaching session."

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that, after seeing how well the kids were doing under my teachings, Zane insisted that I become their new teacher. I agreed without much thought, finding it to be the easiest thing for me to do as a job. The offer was also extended to Jules since the teacher for the young Jolteon, Wade, had unfortunately passed away from old age. I was surprised to hear that someone old enough to be my great grandfather was teaching children how to battle. I couldn't help but hold a little adoration for the mon I had never even met, may he rest in peace.

"We better hurry, you know how restless Jolteon can get when kept waiting " he said, earning a small chuckle from me as we both sprinted off in the direction of the field.

* * *

"Whoa watch it!" I heard a female voice shout from the field ahead, right before a large explosion rattled the earth around me. Me and Jules shared a look before running to the field to see what was up.

"Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength" a male said back, followed by a pained yelp. I peeked over the hill above the field and saw a small group of Flareon standing around two other Flareon. The ones in the middle were probably the ones responsible for the explosion since one looked a little burnt, ironically, while the other was on the ground with his paws over his snout.

"I know were all fire types, but Fire Blast still freaking hurts!" the burnt one growled while the other kind of coward away from the snarling female.

"Where's their teacher?" I asked Jules, to which he simply shrugged.

"Look, I said I was sorry." I turned back to the scene as the male continued speaking. The other simply growled and stomped ever closer to him.

"Oh, your gonna be sorry when I'm through with you." At this point, I decided to step in and stop any further conflict that would result in someone being barbequed.

"Hey, what seems to be the problem here?" I asked them as I walked out from behind the hill and towards the group who's attention was now turned towards me. The female still held her glare though as she looked at me with the same intensity as she did with the male Flareon.

"Stay out of this, it has nothing to do with you" she said, making me raise a brow in minor amusement.

"Feisty one aren't ya, didn't your mother ever tell you to respect your elders?" She growled in response and, much to my surprise, launched a Flamethrower right at me. I chuckled at the attempt and used Foul Play to dodge the attack and sneak right up behind her.

"What the!" she yelled after the attack cleared, probably expecting a fried Umbreon to still be standing there.

"Your strong, but your cocky" I said and shot a Dark Pulse right at her, sending her flying across the field. She landed hard and stayed down for a minute before struggling back onto her paws. She stared at me, wide eyed, and actually cowered a little under my gaze. "I suggest getting that attitude of yours in check before it gets you hurt."

"Y-yes sir" she whimpered and walked back to her group with her tail between her legs. That's the good thing about juvenile Pokémon, show them power, and they show you respect, much easier than human children.

"Good, now behave, the lot of you, I have to go teach my class." I bid them farewell and told Jules to watch over them till their teacher showed up, him not having anything else to do since the Jolteon don't start their class till later.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't torch each other" he said right before I left. Why I left a bunch of possibly hot headed Flareon in his hands, I didn't know, but the deed was done nonetheless.

It seemed the excitement was far from over though, seeing as right after leaving the Flareon group, I saw one of my own actually flying right above my head. I watched it as if it was in slow motion, the look of surprise etched on the poor dark types face was priceless to say the least.

"...Ow" he groaned after hitting the grass. I looked at him for a minute before shrugging and picking the boy up on my back.

"What did you do this time Shad?" I asked the kid on my back.

"I...kind of...well...I tried wooing Isabel again" he answered before another groan escaped his muzzle. I didn't know the full history behind this answer, but I honestly don't care.

"How did you go about doing that?"

"...I challenged Rex to a battle." Rex, I know, original right, was probably the biggest Umbreon of my little group, as well as being the strongest of the student's. I wondered just what goes through this kids head sometimes to actually think he could take on Rex. Then again, love can make you stupid.

"What did you learn?" I asked in mild amusement. He whimpered in response and said nothing else until I dropped him by the group of Umbreon that were my students. He muttered a quick thank you before taking his place in the semicircle.

"Hello everyone, how have you all been today?" I asked the group, receiving positive remarks and happy smiles. "Good, now who's ready to learn?"

"Wait, are you the teacher or am I missing something?" I looked to the one who had asked this, seeing an unfamiliar face. He wasn't around for the lesson I kind of commandeered, so he was probably confused.

"Yes, I am your new teacher, as per Zane's request. Is this a problem pup?" He shook his head and apologized for interrupting. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, what would you all like to learn today? I know a variety of moves that any Umbreon may learn so please make your voice be heard and let me know."

They all looked at each other, whispering and muttering amongst themselves before turning back to me. Rogue, the female who had trouble with her Night Slash the day before, stepped up.

"If its alright with you Mr. Dante, could we see you use Shadow Ball?" I raised a brow, wondering why they would want to see something so basic, but complied with their wishes.

"Very well, but in the future, ask me to use something a bit more complicated please" I said before facing away from them and opening my jaws wide, the dark energy already collecting in front of me. It grew larger and larger until it was about the size of a voltorb, I then launched it right at a boulder. The resulting impact shattered said boulder, as well as the one right behind it.

"Whoa" half of them muttered while the other half simply stared at the pebbles left behind from the attack. I smirked at their faces, the amazement they had from seeing one of my weaker moves was quite a pleasure.

"Now allow me to ask, you all already know that move, do you not?" I asked them. They all nodded and then looked a little guilty. They were probably only wanting to see if I was truly strong enough to teach them. I let that slip since I most likely would have done the same thing if I had a teacher.

"Alright then, how about we learn a move that every Umbreon is basically required to learn at some point, Foul Play." I noticed some of them take on a look of boredom as if they already knew it, while others simply stared at me with interest.

"Can we learn something else, Foul Play was like, the first move I learned when I evolved." This was said by Monroe, one of the older members of the class. I heard some of the other older students agree, wanting to learn something more exciting and strong. I smirked and gestured for Monroe to come stand in front of me.

"Show me, use Foul Play on me" I ordered after he reached the spot in front of me.

"What?" he asked, surprised from my request.

"Did I stutter? I said use Foul Play on me" I repeated. He tilted his head before crouching down in a fighting stance before suddenly vanishing in a flash of dark energy. I didn't move from my seated position and simply tilted my head to avoid the sucker punch aimed for the back of my head. This resulted in him losing his footing and landing on his face in the same spot he once was.

"How...did you?" I heard him mutter as he rose to his paws. I just stared at him boredly while I watched him recover.

"You were far to loud in your approach" I stated, catching his attention. "Despite what you may believe, Foul Play is not a move like Teleport, it let's you sneak behind the enemy very quickly. At no point can you not be tracked by a Pokémon with sensitive enough hearing. You need to take your time with your approach. Since you cannot be seen, you are able to get behind your opponent at any time you wish while the move is active. You ran to get behind me, making yourself very noisy and easily trackable to me. If you wish to use the move as it was meant to be used, then you need to have patience, never rush." I finished this by fazing out by using my own Foul Play, then reappearing behind them all while they all still watched the spot I was in, making them quickly turn to look at me in surprise.

"That is why you are going to practice till you have the move down pat. To make it quicker and easier for all of us, I want the ones who already know how to use the move to teach the others that don't. When you are all able to use the move, I will work out the kinks in your technique. Feel free to begin whenever you wish, come to me if you have any questions."

"Yes sir" they all said and went about doing as they were instructed. I smirked at the feeling of authority I held over them. I was no control freak by any means, but actually being able to tell someone what to do and they listen feels pretty good.

Since they did exactly as I instructed, I was able to simply relax and watch their progress. It was kind of slow at first, and I had to break up a few arguments among the kids since the older one's had little patience. That's another reason I wanted them to work with each other, to learn how to be patient. I teach more than moves, I teach life lessons and skills.

"How are they doing?" I heard a familiar voice ask as I felt someone sit down by my side.

"Hello Angel" I greeted the Sylveon next to me. "Their doing alright, little arrogant some of them, but other than that their fine so far."

"That's good, you definitely seem like a better teacher than Jade was" she giggled probably remembering how hopeless and lost Jade was when he tried to teach. I couldn't help but chuckle as well, finding it quite amusing to see how much he struggled to just speak.

"Speaking of teaching, aren't you supposed to be teaching the eevee right now?" I asked. She shook her head and pointed a paw across the field where several eevee were playing with a few eeveeloution's hanging around.

"I let them have a day off every week so they could spend time with their friends and parents." I nodded in understanding and watched the little pups play around for a minute before turning back to see how my students were doing. I was surprised to see that they were actually making pretty good progress almost all of them being able to at least begin the move. Their only problem was how to hold the move.

"Looks like I'll actually be having to teach today...dang, hoping I'd get to relax my first day" I sighed. Angel giggled and patted my back with a ribbon.

"Yes, the young ones are simply lost without us, can never leave them alone for long can we?"

"You should know better than any of us, you teach the kits. I honestly don't think I'd have the patience to teach them." She smiled and looked at the little eevee fondly.

"Their a handful, that's for sure, but I enjoy teaching them, their always so much fun."

"Fun for you maybe, I'd end up finding a way to use Dark Pulse on myself" I joked, earning another giggle from her.

"Oh come now, its not that bad." I shrugged, but kept a smirk on my face.

"If you say so...by the way, why are you talking to me?" I asked. She actually looked offended by the question, making me feel like I said that wrong. "No, no, no, I meant why are you talking to me of all Pokémon." Her face returned to normal, making me feel like I had just dodged a bullet.

"Oh, well...why not?" I tilted my head and took on a confused expression.

"Well, I'm sure there are more interesting Pokémon to talk to, I'm not all that special."

"Are you kidding, you're the newest one here, why wouldn't I want to at least try and get to know you better?" I thought on that for a second, seeing nothing else for me to do. I figured, why not, what's the worse that could happen.

"Very well, but only if you tell me about yourself first, you've heard my life story, now I want to hear yours."

"That sounds fair, now where to begin." She placed a ribbon to her chin and looked to the ground, her baby blue eyes locked to the ground in concentration. "Well, to start off, I was born and raised in the clan, went through all of the normal kit stuff, you know like getting lost and causing as much trouble as possible." I chuckled lightly at that, glad for the little tidbit of humor. "Eventually figured out how to evolve into a Sylveon, which actually isn't all that hard, just evolve like an espeon would but know at least one Fairy type move. They keep saying that you need a trainer to evolve into one, but there are over a dozen Sylveon in the clan who prove otherwise." Well, one mystery solved.

"But wait, you're the only Sylveon I've seen so far, where are the others?"

"Usually off relaxing by the flowers in the meadow, you probably didn't even know we had one of those did you?" She giggled when she saw my look of minor disdain. Flowers were not my thing. "They'll come back after about a week, this is the time of year when the flowers really start to bloom."

"Why aren't you with them?"

"I have a class to teach, and flowers don't really interest me that much."

"Seems we have something in common then." I smiled, receiving a happy nod from her. We kept on talking a little bit more since we didn't really have anything we had to do, seeing as her students were off today and mine were practicing. We actually had a very pleasant conversation, me learning about all sorts of things pertaining to her life. This info exchange was pretty much one sided for the most parts since I really didn't have much I wanted to share with her, seeing as how it was kind of my dirty little secret. That and, I really didn't have very interesting stories while she entertained me with stories of her childhood.

Unfortunately, our pleasant moment was ruined when I noticed something closing in on my right fast and I turned to see a large Shadow Ball sailing towards us. I raised a brow and simply stepped in front of the attack, not really worrying about the possible damage it could cause, which actually wasn't very much at all.

"Do that again and I'll rip you a new one!" I threatened to whoever had launched the attack. I saw Rex actually cowering when I made this threat and bow in apology before making himself scarce. "Sorry about that."

"Its quite alright, its fun watching you shout" she said, making me smile.

"Well I'm sorry, I try and not making yelling a habit."

"No worries, I understand where your anger was coming from, now I really have to go, I promised my sister I would watch over her little Brook" she told me before using her ribbons to give me a hug. "We'll have to do this again sometime Dante."

"Definitely, it was a pleasure talking to you" I smiled and curled my neck around hers.

"Pleasure for me as well, till next time." With that, she broke contact all together and back away, giving me one last goodbye before heading off over the hill. I couldn't help but feel a little saddened by her absence, but I pushed it aside, I still had a class to teach.

"WAAH!" I sighed when I heard the shout, followed by a loud explosion.

'Just can't make it easy for me can they' I mentally chuckled and stood back up to my paws, making my way over to restore the peace.

* * *

"Easy, my back is still killing me" Jules whined after I readjusted him on my back so he wouldn't fall off.

"Seriously man, you let a bunch of kids whip your ass" I chuckled, earning a groan from the battered Jolteon.

"Hey, they ganged up on me, I'm only one mon!" he defended. I just rolled my eyes and trotted through the opening of the clan's infirmary.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night." He huffed and remained silent while I rolled him on the mat. Right as he landed, I heard paw steps coming towards us and turned, seeing a Leafeon hurrying over.

"Jules, what did you do this time?" She questioned with a look of annoyance. He gave her a sheepish smile and hummed as if in thought.

"He lost the power struggle" I simply stated, sparing him the embarrassment of admitting it himself. She sighed and shook her head, going about grabbing several bowls and berries from around the cave.

"I swear, I've seen you and your brother in here enough times already. I should start making you go out and grab the ingredients yourself cause their already enough of a hassle to get in the first place."

"Sorry Eve, but this time it wasn't my fault, there were just so many of them." Eve looked to me for some unknown reason after hearing him state this. I just shrugged and sat down while I let her figure it out.

"Your Dante right, I remember you from the clan meeting." I nodded and offered her a smile, bowing to her.

"That's me, your Eve right, I remember you from right now" I said back, trying my hand at a little humor. It wasn't lost on her as she lightly giggled and bowed back before turning her attention back to Jules. "I'll leave him in you're paws Eve, see ya Jules, I'll be in my den if you need me."

"Okay, see ya." I bid Eve farewell as well and walked out of the cave, laughing a little when I heard Jules yelp in pain and Eve telling him along them lines of "suck it up". I would have stayed back to laugh a little more at his little complaints, but I had much more important business to attend to.

"Little after noon...yep, its nap time" I told myself and made my way towards my den, ready to curl up and sleep the rest of the day away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay, I'm not dead. I know its been awhile since I last posted. If you want an explanation, its in the other story 'Fabled World'. Anyway, here you go, enjoy.**

* * *

The sound of grass and leaves crunching under my paw were the only thing that disturbed the silence of the night. I inhaled deeply, finding the night air much more invigorating than anything that the day could possibly provide me. I hated giving in to the stereotype, but I just couldn't help it. I was an Umbreon now, and Umbreon tend to have a close relationship to the moon, probably since it's the reason they evolved in the first place.

A light breeze passed me, ruffling my fur and helping greet me to the chill of midnight. This was always my favorite time of them all. I was no longer a big fan of the sun, it revealed me far to easily while I tried to hunt. The darkness was my safety barrier, my greatest friend out in the wild. I didn't know what it was to me now since I didn't see the need to hunt to survive.

'Speaking of hunting, I could really go for a bite to eat' I thought and started walking toward the glacier in the distance. I remember Jules mentioning that the food was stored there so maybe I could hop in and snatch a berry or two, not like anyone would miss them. I actually laughed a little at the thought, remembering all the times I broke into a few people's homes and stole their food. It was terrible of me to be laughing at their misfortune, but I had to stick around to see their reaction's, especially that one time I stole a young ladies strawberry pie that sat on the windowsill. I couldn't believe the irony of the situation, it was even better when she actually called the cops. There were like three officers and police Pokémon searching the area for me, over a pie, it was priceless.

"Hey there good looking" I heard a sultry voice behind me say. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was behind me, and I sighed.

"Hello Jessie" I replied boredly. The Glaceon was soon padding up beside me, already trying to see how close he could get. I glanced over at him, but otherwise ignored him to the best of my ability, seeing if he would just leave. I already knew that it would be a fruitless endeavor, even before he got even closer to my side. I felt his cold body brushing against my side, making me shiver from the sudden contact. He mistook the shiver as something other than a reaction to his body temperature and sidled up even closer to my side, nuzzling my neck in the process. I cringed and immediately jumped to my left, away from his ice cold touch.

"Back of buster, I'm really not in the mood" I growled while shooting him a heated glare. He wasn't even fazed by my threatening tone and smirked as he padded up to me slowly with a sway to his hips.

"Oh come on now Dante, is it really so wrong to get to try to know you better?" he questioned. I just stared at him incredulously.

"Are you serious, that wasn't trying to get to know each other, that was an attempt to get inside each other!" I exclaimed and bared my teeth, trying to scare him off. He still paid my tone and expression no mind as he advanced on me.

"What better way to know one another is there, you can learn quite a few things about a mon after a good romp." I chocked a little at his tone, he sounded so sure of himself, not even a hint of fear in his voice. I wasn't used to anyone not so much as flinching under my threatening gaze. Either this guy has a death wish, or he was truly confident in himself.

"Yeah, no thanks, I'm just going to grab a bite to eat and head back to my den till morning. Speaking of which, why are you even up at this time of night, its well past midnight?"

"I was just with my brother. I was heading back to my den, but I saw you out here and thought you'd enjoy some company" he purred out the last part. I just sighed before doing something I should have done a while ago. I concentrated and used my Faint Attack to quickly disappear from his sight and reappear right in front of the food storage a few moments later. I wasn't in the clear though, he knew where I was going so I didn't have long if he decided to follow.

I went in and grabbed a few Oran berries and used Faint Attack again to get out of there and sprint right past the Glaceon as he ran towards the glacier. Seems I was right in my assumption and stopped behind a tree, hiding myself from view, and watched Jessie enter the glacier while calling my name. I shook my head before backing into the bushes and disappearing into the night.

* * *

"Hello, anyone home?" I heard a female voice ask from the entrance of my den. I smiled, recognizing the voice as Angel's.

"I'm here Angel, come on in" I answered, not moving from my curled up position. She readily complied and stepped through the entrance, walking slowly as she examined the little home.

"Good morning Dante" She greeted after her little inspection of my home.

"Morning" I replied and slowly got up and stretched out my tense muscles. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to retrieve you" she answered. I tilted my heads in confusion.

"Retrieve me?" I asked, not fully understanding what she was saying. She nodded gestured for me to follow her. I was still utterly confused, but did as she requested and followed her out the entrance and into the harsh morning sun. I had to shut my eyes to block out the offending light, and stopped to rub them with a paw. Angel didn't wait for me to adjust though and simply wrapped her feelers around me and led me towards our destination.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Well that was informative. I mentally shrugged though and just kept walking where she directed me. I saw no real reason to worry, I doubted she would mean me any real harm. So I just kept my mouth shut and followed.

After a few more minutes, my eyes finally adjusted to the light and I was able to see the field to my right and the lake far to my left. If I had to take a guess, I'd say we were most likely heading towards the main hall, or council center same thing. My guess was correct it would seem as the building came into view not even a minute after this thought. Why we were heading there, I have no clue, but I could tell I wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon.

"Did the council want me or something?" I asked my guide, who still hadn't let go of me despite me regaining my sight. She nodded, but said nothing, still leaving me in the dark. I shook my head and sighed in slight annoyance. Why she wouldn't tell me anything, I have no idea, but it was getting pretty annoying. I'm sure she had her reasons, or at least I hoped she did.

"Alright, please step insiide and I'll introduce you to everyone you will be working with." This caught my attention immediately.

"Wait, working with?" I questioned, receiving a nod from the Sylveon.

"Yep, your going on a scouting run with a few of the newbies. They needed someone gifted in stealth and who better than an Umbreon."

"...Why me, there are dozens of other Umbreon here." I told her. She shook her head and stopped in front of the doorway.

"That's true, but all of our current scouts are too busy with their other jobs, and the only Umbreon truly qualified to teach are you and Xavier. Unfortunately he's incapacitated at the moment, so that just leaves you" she explained. I just stared at her for a moment before letting a soft chuckle escape my muzzle.

"Yeah, no, I work alone on things like this" I told her. She was not amused by my response and basically threw me through the doorway with her ribbons.

"Sorry, it's not really your decision to make" she happily stated and calmly strolled over to my prone form, a sweet smile plastered on her face. I just gave her a deadpan look and sighed, resigning myself to my fate.

"Fine, but just this once." I told her before hopping back onto my paws and sitting down.

"Alright then, now its time to meet everyone. Hikari, Monsoon, Glade, come in here please!" Angel called towards the room in front of us.

'Strange names, well aren't they special' I mentally chuckled and calmly sat there, waiting for my 'students' to present themselves. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long until I was greeted by the sight of three eeveeloutions entering the room and moving to sit in front of me and Angel. 'Jolteon, Vaporeon, and a Leafeon...interesting.'

"Hello everyone, its trust you all are adjusting to your new forms well" Angel said. All three of them smiled happily in response and nodded excitedly.

"Yes ma'am, and we can't wait to test these new bodies out in the wild" the female Jolteon eagerly stated, accompanied by a few happy yips from the rest of the kids. I noticed they were still fairly young, probably mid teens or somewhere in that range. Why they were sending kids that just evolved out into the field though, well that's still a mystery to me.

"Confident isn't she?" I chuckled and while looking at Angel. She giggled and nodded before turning her attention back to the three.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Dante, you will be accompanying him on patrol today." The three actually looked a little miffed about this information.

"Wait, I thought we were going off on our own, we don't need a babysitter!" Monsoon said, the others voicing their agreement with his words. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, already knowing how this little scouting expedition was probably going to go. Bad enough I really didn't even know where I was supposed to go, a pretty moronic move by the council to put me on scouting, but I just hoped these kids wouldn't get in my way.

"I'm sorry everyone, but you know the rules, anyone who is still inexperienced with stealth and all that needs to be accompanied by someone who knows what their doing" Angel replied.

"Who said I knew what I was doing, I don't even know where the borders of the territory are" I said, a hint of annoyance in my voice. I was pretty miffed with the council for assigning me to babysit these three, just like Monsoon said earlier.

"Don't worry, they know how to identify the markings so you won't have to worry about stepping out of clan territory." Okay, that's a little better, but it still doesn't change the fact that I had to watch over three pups who think their bigshots.

"Why can't we do that on our own!" Hikari whined. My eye twitched a little after hearing her complaint.

"Listen kid, I don't like this anymore than any of you do, but I'm sucking it up, I suggest you do to!" I snapped, finally shutting them all up. I gave them a glare and watched them actually start to shiver in fear. I guess I hadn't lost that intimidation factor of mine, good, that might make some things easier.

"Y-y-yes s-sir" she whimpered and crouched down submissively, the others following her lead. I nodded and turned back to Angel, my glare quickly turning into a smile. She smiled right back, not the least bit bothered by me shouting at the pups.

"When do I need to head out?" I asked her.

"In about an hour." I nodded and turned back to my new charges.

"Meet me by the entrance in forty-five" I ordered and left without another word.

* * *

"thirty minutes later" I sighed and curled up next to the entrance of the cave, which was currently hidden by that giant boulder. I immediately made my way to the entrance upon my exit from the hut and spent the last half hour either trying to figure out this door mechanism and looking around the entrance for anything interesting. After finding nothing, I simply decided to sit and ponder everything that has happened so far.

'I still can't believe how fast this was all going.' Had it even been a week yet, I can't even remember his long I've been here. I'm pretty sure it been less than a week, but in that time frame I've made a new friend, taught a class of newly evolved Umbreon, and been asked to go on scouting duty for the clan. I honestly never thought I would even do one of those things, let alone all three. It seemed Arceus finally started working on his end of the bargain...five years late but at least he followed through. I still had doubts about this place, I mean who wouldn't be suspicious of everything after living in the wild for so long. It might have been normal for average Pokémon to acclimate to a new setting like this easily, but I still had the mind of a human so those instincts are still there. Maybe I should stop thinking so hard on it, it will probably get me nowhere anyway.

Thankfully I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of stone grating against stone as the door was pushed out of the way by some mysterious force, revealing to me the three kids from earlier. I was surprised by their timing, expecting them to he late or something, not that I was complaining or anything.

"Where is he?" Glade asked, making this the first time I actually heard him speak. I almost though he was a girl _from_ how high it was, but there was still that masculine undertone that preserved his manhood.

"I don't know, probably getting ready or something, we weren't supposed to meet him for another ten minutes, but we just _had_ to get here early" Monsoon said in an annoyed tone, directing his words towards Hikari.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want him getting mad over us being late, he scares the crap put of me" she defended, looking all around her paranoid that I might have been listening in. Good thing she didn't look up, or she would have seen me laying up on top of the hill the entrance was dug into.

"Dante? Please, he's probably all bark no bite, I can take him on easy" Monsoon replied do confidently. Now he had my full attention as I stared at him with a small smirk.

"Will you be quiet, he might hear you!" Glade said in a harsh whisper. Seemed he was as paranoid as Hikari, but it seemed lost on the Vaporeon.

"Please, even if he was here and heard me, what is he going to do. I can beat him in a battle anytime, anyway."

"Think you can back up those words." All three instantly stiffened and turned back slowly, finally laying eyes on me as I stood up with a stretch and hopped down from my perch. The bubble jet Pokémon took a step back for everyone I took towards him. The other two were frozen to the spot as I stepped past them, eventually backing the kid into a wall and getting mere inches from his face. "Next time, if your gonna talk shit, make sure you know what your getting into."

He whimpered in response and nodded fearfully. I smirked, satisfied with my work, and backed away to face away from the lot of them

"Alright, Hikari, your giving me directions, the rest of you keep an eye out. I take point, if you fall behind, you get left behind. I will not wait on you for anything except to take a piss. If you take longer than thirty seconds though, your finding your own way back, are we clear?"

"Yes sir!" they chorused, falling in step behind me after I started my walk into the wilderness.

'Maybe it won't be as bad as I thought.'

"Hang on, I have to pee."

'Never mind.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Another one already, yay! Now I only have one thing to say concerning the story, there might be a bit more little grammatical errors than usual. My sister, who just so happens to be my proofreader, is kind of pissed off with me. I'm not really sure why, maybe raise I beat the shit out of her boyfriend(the boy squared up, he was asking for it) but I'm sure y'all don't really care about that. Just please bare with me and my horrible grammar skills with commas and crap, and enjoy.**

* * *

'I swear to the holy lord, I am going to kill these kids' I mentally growled while I waited for one the three kits. Remember when I said I wouldn't stop for anything but to take a piss...well they pretty much abused said privilege. This made the sixth time I've had to stop so one of them could take a leak, and it was getting pretty freaking annoying.

"Alright boss man, I'm back" Glade said as he trotted up beside me. I shot him an annoyed glare and resumed my walking with the others following behind. The kids were dead silent the entire time they followed me, thankfully taking this at least somewhat seriously. Kind of useless though, seeing as there was literally nothing happening within my sight. Usually I would have welcomed the peace and quiet of moments like this, but right now I just wanted something to do. I was bored out of my mind and forced to walk around the territory with a bunch of kids when I could be back in my den taking a nap.

"We should be reaching the southern border in a few minutes" Monsoon informed me, eliciting a relieved sigh from me. That meant that I could finish this mission up, take these three back to the clan and get some sweet, sweet, sleep.

"Thanks bud, remember to keep an eye out and take soft steps, last thing we need is some random Pokémon hearing a twig snap and come to investigate" I reminded. I felt their eyes locked on the back of my head curiously.

"Why do you seem so concerned over stealth Mr. Dante, can't you just deal with any threats that you see?" I glanced back at Hikari for a moment, turning back to the front soon after.

"You will need every advantage you can get in the wild. The element of surprise can be a very powerful weapon if used correctly. You need to learn stealth to survive out here, especially when it comes to humans." I felt a cold chill run through the air as all three of them went absolutely rigid at the mention of humans. I stopped and turned around when I stopped hearing their soft footsteps, and instead of the normally cocky eeveeloution trio, I saw the three shaking in complete and utter terror.

"H-humans?" Hikari stuttered and basically hid behind the other two.

"Problem?" I asked her with a raised brow.

"Were sorry Mr. Dante...we've all had really bad experiences with humans." That explained it, had me confused there for a moment.

"It's alright, I'll make sure none of you get captured, why I'm here aren't I?" I said, getting sighs of relief from them. I couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped my muzzle. Those three were getting so scared over something as trivial as a trainer. This place isn't exactly a hot spot for trainers since there are so many packs hanging around. The packs are a blessing and a curse though, seeing as how they force the clan to scout the territory. Glade told me that the clan was in constant conflict with the other packs since they constantly try to encroach on the territory to expand their own claim.

"Wait!" Hikari exclaimed.

"If you say, I have to pee, I will hold you down and give you a hysterectomy with a rusty spoon" I growled.

"A what with a what?" She asked, completely confused. I sighed remembering that they knew nothing of human terms.

"Never mind, what is it?"

"Were getting awfully close to Fangs territory, I think we should turn back" she told me fearfully.

"Fang?" I questioned, chuckling a little at the terrible name. That's when a thought crossed my mind and my smile faded instantly. The only Fang I knew was that Houndoom that I met so many years ago that tried to recruit me to his pack.

"Hikari...does this Fang happen to be a Houndoom, ironically missing one of his fangs?" I mentally cursed when she nodded her head in the affirmative. The guy probably still held a grudge against me for refusing his invitation, he did not take the word no well.

"We've got enough of the territory scouted, you three head back to the clan, I'll finish up this last border." There was no way I was letting these kids anywhere near Fang. He would tear them apart if he ever got a hold of one of them in his own territory.

"What, aren't you coming with us?" Monsoon asked, actually sounding worried for me.

"No...I have some personal business to settle with Fang. Hopefully I don't actually run into the guy, but I don't want you any of you near him if I do see him."

"But he'll kill you if he finds you." Now I'm pretty sure that was an exaggeration. There was no way Fang would risk a war with another pack by attacking one of it's members outside of his own territory. He may have been a little slow in my opinion, but he would never be that stupid.

"I'll be fine, just go on back and I'll be there in a few hours."

"But-"

"This isn't up for debate, either you go back willingly, or I hurl your ass back there like a Frisbee!" I threatened. They seemed to have realized that they weren't changing my mind and gave me a somber nod before they turned tail and headed back towards the clan. I watched them leave with a kind gaze, proud of their concern for one of their own. They were annoying and a hastle to handle, but they were good kids.

"Kids!" They turned back towards me upon my shout, and I smiled at them caringly. "Get back there in one piece." They smiled and nodded, sneaking away in the brush just like they were taught. When I was sure they were gone, I wiped the smile from my face and turned to the south where my old 'friend' was currently located and trotted off, ready for whatever would come my way.

* * *

Okay, I was now officially freaked out. It was almost dead quiet everywhere I walked, which was quite unnatural for anywhere in the forest. The chirp of the bird and bug Pokémon was virtually nonexistent, replaced with nothing but...well nothing. The only sound that reached my ears were my own paws crunching the leaves and grass with each step I took. All in all, it was a very creepy experience.

My eyes darted from left to right, watching for even the tiniest flicker of movement. I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched and my senses were on high alert for anything out of the ordinary. My adrenaline spiked when the sound a stick snapping filled the air and my body involuntarily went into its fight-or-flight response.

"You know, it's not nice to hide from someone!" I shouted, not really expecting a response. This is exactly what I got as my reply was the same pervasivesilence as before. I growled in frustration and launched a random Shadow Ball to my right where the noise came from. This did nothing but knock down a tree and kick up a lot of dust.

'Why the hell did I come here?' It was not easy to scare me, but this was straight up terrifying. Any normal being, human or Pokémon, would have avoided anything even remotely related to anything you would see in a horror movie...course I was an idiot that charged headlong into the unknown. I had never been this stupid before, then again I never had to deal with scouting or some crap like that. Normally, I would have been out of their faster than the blink of the eye, but I had a job to do and I never leave anything unfinished.

"Aww, I really liked that tree."

"The fuck!?" I immediately crouched down in a fighting stance upon hearing the raspy voice of whatever was out there. It was followed by a childish giggle that sent chills down my spine.

"What's wrong little Umbreon, you seem a little scared?" The voice taunted. This angered me to no end. I was not going to be played with like a pawn, not by anybody.

"Alright coward, get out here where I can see you!"

"Now why would I go on and do that? Its fun seeing you so scared." The voice replied. I quirked a brow and returned to a neutral stance, even going as far as sitting down to see what would happen.

"Who said I was scared?" I questioned.

"...What?" the voice asked, highly out of character from the creepy, raspy tone it had used before. I smirked and cracked my neck, loosening up my muscles and reaching a leg up to scratch behind my ear.

"I have no reason to be scared, there is no way any Pokémon would be stupid enough to attack another in their own territory, especially if they were in a rival pack. They would not risk a war without just provocation, no one is that stupid." I reasoned. The silence followed was no longer creepy and unnerving, now it was just plain awkward.

"...Huh...well there goes my fun" it said, sounding disappointed at my sudden sense of safety. "Well I guess there's always that one Pokémon that isn't completely brain dead."

I tilted my head curiously as the forest seemed to faze all around me until the sounds of nature suddenly returned as the sounds of bird Pokémon reached my ears. I heard a bit of rustling to my left and prepared for a fight. What I saw next took me completely by surprise as a little black and red fox popped out from behind the brush, followed by another Pokémon that slightly resembled the other, except this one was much larger and stood on two legs instead of four. I blinked at the sight of the Zorua and Zoroark duo as they stepped towards me unthreateningly. I eased my stance, but still stood ready for any dirty tricks.

"Hello young one" the Zoroark greeted with a small wave. "Were sorry to have frightened you, but my son just couldn't help himself."

I looked towards the female for a moment, acknowledging her for a moment, before turning my attention back towards the Zorua who was currently snickering like a prankster. I had met a few of the illusionary fox species before quite some years ago, and they were showing the normal behavior for their species. This knowledge led me to ease my guard completely and sit down once again.

"Who and why?" I asked simply, putting on a face of neutrality as I watched them closely.

"My apologies, it seems we have forgotten our manners, I am Ebony and this is my son Kage. We watch over the southern border for your clan in exchange for territory and shelter when we require it" she said, sounding like she recited this as if she had said this over a hundred times already. I tilted my head once again as I looked between the two in shock and surprise. I would never have suspected that the clan would have employed a Zoroark of all Pokémon species to guard one of their borders.

"I am Dante, I guess it is a pleasure to meet you Ebony" I bowed, not forgetting my manners. I knew she meant me no threat so I stepped a little closer to them both and raised my snout as high as I could. She was obviously surprised by my action, but soon she was smiling as she crouched down and touched her nose to mine.

"I must say Dante, I am shocked that you know the true greeting of my species." She said, sounding quite pleased by this knowledge.

"I ran into a wandering Zoroark pack about three seasons ago. I made friends with one of their members before continuing on my way, he taught me many things about your species culture." I couldn't help but smile from the memory. It was one of the few good ones I was able to acquire out in the wild.

"That would explain much" she chuckled and looked around for a moment before turning back to me. "Now may I ask why you are here, we don't really see many scouts around here."

"Personal issues, wanted to know if Fang was still kicking" I answered before looking up at the sky, noticing that the sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon. "I wish I could talk with you a bit more, but I must be going before someone gets worried and sends a search and rescue party after me."

She chuckled and nodded, touching my nose in farewell and scooping up her son, depositing him in her mane before leaping into the trees. I stared at the spot she left through for a moment before finally deciding to make my way back to the clan.

'That was an interesting experience.'

* * *

"Let the night come" I said to no one in particular as I stepped through the exit of the cave that lead into the clan home, being instantly greeted by the soft light of the moon as the sun had finally disappeared from the sky. I immediately made my way to the clan house to deliver my report, confident at least someone was there and waiting for me.

"Dante!" seemed I was correct in my assumption, but what I wasn't expecting was to be jumped by a ball of pink and white fur. The Sylveon was practically clutching me to her form with her feelers as she nuzzled me. All I could do was lie there, frozen from the shock of the sudden show of affection.

"Um...hi Angel" I said, my eyes wide as plates. She didn't seem to hear me as she continued her nuzzling, until she finally realized what she was doing and promptly jumped off of me, a bright red blush adorning her white cheeks.

"Uh, sorry Dante, guess I got a little excited" she said with a nervous chuckle. I rolled myself back onto my paws and shook off the dust in my fur before looking at her amusedly, my own blush showing through my obsidian fur.

"I see that, now who do I report to?" I asked, eager to change the subject away from that moment. She let out a sigh of relief upon the subject change and shook her head.

"No need to report anything unless you actually see anything, your free to go home, after answering some of my questions first."

"Naturally" I chuckled and calmly sat down on one of the piles of leaves that littered the clan house. She eagerly took the spot next to me and laid down upon the pile with a hum of satisfaction.

"Now my first question, did you see anything unordinary while you were out there?" I shrugged in response.

"Only thing I saw was a whole lot of nothing, the only thing I found interest was a meeting with the Zoroark and Zorua near the south border." She looked a little surprised, then a little worried.

"You didn't hurt either of them did you?" I quirked a brow questioningly.

"No, I didn't hurt them."

"Good, I was afraid Ebony's son was up to his usual antics."

"Oh he was, I just didn't hurt either of them when they showed themselves." She smiled and nodded, happy with my answer.

"Excellent...now my last question."

"Only two, I was here expecting an interrogation" I joked, earning a small giggle from the fairy type.

"Very funny, but in all seriousness, why did you show up two hours after the pups you were sent out with."

"Simple, you know about Fang, the rival pack leader near the southern border," She nodded, "Well me and him have some bad blood and I didn't want those kids near him in case we did meet, mostly cause I didn't want to be the one to tell their parents they became that morons lunch." I added that last part out of pure instinct, my façade masking my actual care for the kids well being. She saw right through my little charade though and gave me a kind smile.

"There's more to it than just wanting to avoid that situation, isn't there?" she asked. I raised a brow and hummed in mock thought before looking her right in the eyes.

"Nope." If their was still one thing I could easily do, it was lie through my freaking teeth. Now usually when I lie, its pretty hard to tell I'm even doing it in the first place, but this girl was way to perceptive for her own good.

"Uh-huh...whatever you say" she smirked and left out the door, but not before wrapping a few ribbons around me in a hug. "Now go home and get some sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow? " I asked a little worried from the sight of the grin on her face.

"Now why would I tell you and ruin the surprise?" I deadpanned at the cliché reply, squeezing a giggle out of the fairy Pokémon before she finally left through the door and out of my sight. I stared at the door for a few minutes after she left, not really knowing how to take this mysterious information.

'Brain, shut up' I sighed and rubbed my head with a paw. I don't need to overanalyze these things, usually got me nowhere anyway. For now I think I'll take Angels advice and call it a night.

"...I just now realized how ironic this is" I chuckled and left through the door and headed back to my den, the moon accompanying me all the way back and bidding me goodnight as the darkness of the cave greeted me, leading me into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

 **Honest question, can y'all tell I'm burning out a little. Sorry if the quality is starting to decline, life is finally catching up to me. I'll try and keep this interesting and update more often, believe me when I say I'm disappointed in myself for not updating as often as I used to for either of my stories.**

 **This is not a sap story in search of sympathy, I'm just keeping y'all informed about the situation. What I would want to know if I was following someone's story.**

 **I'm gonna shut up now because I'm freaking tired, good night and happy tomorrow.**

 **Chow.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey people, it's the bigshot here with another chapter of Umbra Aeternam. Been awhile since I updated this one, but here you go. I'm trying to divide my attention between the two stories, but I have a hard time writing now, so go easy on me.**

"For the last time, if you want to do it correctly, you have to concentrate." I sighed and held a paw to my head. The little Umbreon across from me smiled sheepishly and backed away before crouching down in a fighting stance. I stared at him boredly and calmly took a seat while he scrunched his face in concentration and opened his mouth. A sinister black energy began to collect before him and grow until it reached the size of a soccer ball, then he released. The Dark Pulse attack seemed to actually come through correctly this time, but right before it reached me, it vanished without a trace.

"Close, but not quite." I sighed and looked to my right where Jules was currently trying to teach the Jolteon, trying being the key word. I could see him struggling to keep them in order and a few even started closing in on him. "Take five, I'll be back, if five minutes runs out and I'm still not here, keep practicing your Dark Pulse."

"Yes sir!" They shouted in unison as I turned my back to them and looked to the Jolteon with narrowed eyes. I used Feint Attack to close on them quickly and stepped in front of Jules, standing over him protectively.

"Oh look, another loser" one of the Jolteon sneered and walked a bit closer. I looked down to the smaller Jolteon and quirked a brow.

"A loser? That's really the best you could come up with short stack." I chuckled, which only seemed to piss him off further. He growled and released a Thunder Shock in my direction, only for it to hit me almost harmlessly.

"The hell!"

"Come on, you get one more free hit, use something stronger" I told him, receiving a face full of electricity from a point blank Thunder attack. The attack, much to my surprise, actually knocked me back a few feet. I gritted my teeth and shook out my fur, releasing several sparks from within the black coat.

"Okay, I'll admit, that kinda hurt." I glared at the Jolteon while he smirked confidently.

"More where that came from old timer, so why don't you just run along before you start something you can't finish" he taunted and spread his paws, widening his stance in preparation for another attack.

"Old timer...I'm only twenty five" I said before sighing and shooting a Dark Pulse his way. He saw the attack coming and deftly leapt out of the way, letting the attack hit the boulder behind him, destroying it completely. I quirked a brow in slight surprise and watched him launch a Thunderbolt in my direction, which I easily sidestepped. "Seriously, do I really look that old?"

"I just attacked you and that's what your worried about!" the kid said incredulously. "Are you brain dead or something?"

"A little bit, but that's not relevant to the situation" I shrugged and walked towards him slowly, trying to look completely innocent. "What is relevant is that you were all ganging up on my friend, and I really don't appreciate that."

He looked like he was about to say something else, but his snappy retort was quickly silenced by a swift sucker punch to the kids jaw. The attack sent him flying into the one next to him, making them both tumble across the ground, ending up in a pile of fur and limbs. The others stared at the two for mere seconds before jumping to their paws and charging me, hoping to beat me with their advantage in numbers. I flipped into the air, looking down from above them all and launching a Dark Pulse into the center of the group. I landed in the crater left behind from the attack while the dozen or so Jolteon lay scattered about the field.

"So disappointing" I sighed and stepped over to Jules, putting my head under his forearm and helping him back up to his feet.

"Thanks man, I owe you one" Jules coughed and took his arm from around my neck, planting his paws firm to the ground. I shrugged and looked towards the kids, then back towards Jules.

"Wanna pay me back, then go see Eve and get fixed up, I'll keep an eye on them." He frowned, but nodded and started making his way over to Eve's cave. I watched him go before turning to the Jolteon children once more, a devious smile forming on my muzzle. "Kids, get over here, its time for target practice."

 **Line Break**

"Good session everyone, same time the day after tomorrow" I said, dismissing my class as well as the collective of Jolteon that were voluntold to be part of my class.

"Yes, sir!" they collectively yelled and broke off into their little groups, all the Umbreon leaving with wide smiles and their muzzles. The Jolteon only groaned in relief as they fell to the dirt, completely wiped out. Each and every last one of them were covered in head to paw in cuts and bruises after I made them go through some...endurance training. I was deeply satisfied with the punishment I put these kids through, and I was able to leave the field with a smile of pure contentment.

The time I spent with the kids were mostly used just to think over what Angel had told me yesterday. She said today was supposed to be special for some reason or another, but so far everything has been completely normal. The only thing out of the ordinary was how all the eeveeloution's were running around with, who I presumed to be, their mates and trying to gather everyone in the field. I briefly wondered about this, but my attention was almost automatically returned to my students so I wasn't able to really wonder. Now though, I had nothing else to do, so I decided to check it out.

"Excuse me, can you tell me what's going on?" I asked a couple of Leafeon that were sitting in a small group.

"Don't you know, tonight's the meteor shower" one of them told me. I thanked them and continued weaving my way though the number of eeveelution's, eventually finding a familiar face among the crowd.

"Hey Angel" I greeted the Sylveon. She smiled when she caught sight of me and immediately wrapped her ribbons around me in an affectionate manner.

"Hello Dante, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm pretty sure that was my line" I chuckled, making her giggle while she pulled me towards her slightly. I just went with it and let her pull me along, eventually ending up sitting right beside her. I was a little concerned with how close I was to her, since this is probably the closest I had gotten to a female without them either trying to kill me or thank me. It felt a little out of the ordinary, not to mention it made me a little warm in my chest.

"So, have you heard about what is happening tonight?" she asked me. I nodded and looked up at the amber sky. The sun had almost set, much to my surprise, meaning that the night would soon be upon us.

"Yes, I heard about the meteor shower. Is this why your sitting out here?" She nodded quiet eagerly and looked to the sky, a little twinkle in her baby blue eyes that could rival any of the stars in the night.

"Yes it is...I usually just sit out here every season just to watch them fly by. It truly is one of the most beautiful sights to behold." I watched her smile grow as the memories of all of the showers came back to her.

'Huh' I thought while I watched her lose herself in the memories. I didn't notice this before, but she actually has a pretty smile. I immediately shook my head once that thought entered it. I don't need to be one of those love struck idiots that start fawning over the first pretty girl they see.

"Are you alright Dante?" I was pulled from my thoughts by Angels question. I looked back at her and my mind went totally blank. I couldn't believe it, was I seriously already losing my composure around her. I was fine not even a minute ago, what happened?

"I-I'm fine...just got a little...lost in thought" I lied and forced a neutral expression. She seemed to buy it, seeing as how she replied with nothing but a nod and a smile.

"Alright, you had me worried there for a second, it isn't like you to just go totally quiet." Really, has she been around me at all. I'm always quiet...unless I'm...with her...oh.

"Yeah, sorry about that" I apologized and looked towards the sky, watching as the night conquered the day and bathe the land in darkness. The moon was only in its crescent phase, letting the stars shine brightly as they dotted the sky with white.

"Any minute now" Angel muttered as her ribbons tightened around me and pulled me a bit closer to her form. I quirked a brow in her direction while she kept her gaze to the sky, patiently waiting for the show to start. I just shrugged it off and closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling of her soft ribbons wrapped around me.

"Hey Dante."

"Yes?" I cracked an eye open to regard the blushing Sylveon.

"I-I was w-wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow" she stuttered and shifted around her paws nervously.

"I believe in free tomorrow, why do you ask?" I watched the blush on her white cheeks darken considerably and, for a moment, I feared she was going to catch on fire.

"W-well I was...I was wondering if you would like to...hang out?"

"Like a date?" And now her blush was brighter than the sun. I smiled, deciding to get brave and nuzzled her lightly.

"Only if you want it to be." She immediately went stiff as a board upon the contact and I feared that I had overstepped some sort of boundary, until she smashed my worries by nuzzling me back.

"Yeah, I'd like that very much." Queue the mental fist pump. I couldn't believe it, I actually went as far as accepting a date with a female. Now I know that this might not seem like much cause for celebration, but I never thought anything like this would have ever happened, so I understandably ecstatic.

"Hey look, its starting!" I heard someone yell as literally all eyes turned to the sky. We followed everyone else's lead and looked up at the night sky where a natural phenomenon was currently taking place. All around us, I saw a hundred little streaks of light at a time as they shot across the sky, only to disappear as they passed the horizon. To be completely honest, I still don't see the appeal of meteor showers, seeing them as nothing more than giant chunks of rock flying by high in the sky at speeds I couldn't conceive. Everyone else had a completely different mindset, ooing and awwing as the streaks passed by. Even Angel was completely mesmerized as the universe decided to show off.

I was tempted to walk off while they were so engrossed with the sky, but Angel seemed to know my intentions and tightened her hold on me, her ribbons wrapping securely around my legs, rendering me immobile. I sighed and just laid down, letting my head rest between my paws.

'Wonder what Jules is up to' I shrugged, letting other random thought run through my head while I waited for it all to be over. I closed my eyes after awhile, deciding to catch up on a little sleep until it finally ended.

"Dante, you okay?" So much for that plan. I sighed and peeked an eye open to see Angel looking down at me curiously. I hummed an acknowledgement and slowly stood to my paws, cracking my neck and back and shaking out my fur.

"I'm fine, just a bit bored" I replied, looking back up to the sky as the last of the streaks passed through the sky, leaving the stars and the moon as the only things shining in the sky. "I guess its over."

She nodded sadly and looked up for a second before looking back at me, a small blush on her cheeks. She nuzzled me gently and, once again, wrapped me up in her feelers. I hummed in enjoyment as the silky soft appendages rubbed across my fur, stroking me softly.

"Thanks for spending time with me, even though I knew you didn't enjoy it." So she knew all along huh, darn, hoping I wasn't being too obvious. Looks like I failed in that department, but it was way to late to go back and try to fix it.

"It was no problem Angel, I had little else to do tonight" I shrugged and looked around, watching as everyone left with their friends and mates, feeling a little jealously for each and every last one of them.

'I wonder what life would have been like if I was born here...or if Arcues led me here in the first place.' Its true that this question hung heavily in my mind. These Pokémon have had a past they could truly love...family, friends, and feelings of safety and comfort...something I had always envied when I was still human.

' _There is a reason for all things Dante, you will learn that soon enough.'_ And now I'm hearing voices in my head, fantastic. I sighed and stood up, stretching out some before trying to walk off to my home, keyword _trying._ I felt Angels ribbons tighten around my chest and waist while I felt here eyes on me.

"Where are you going Dante, the night isn't quite over yet" she said, pulling me closer to her side. I looked at her confusedly, earning a giggle before she wrapped me up in the rest of her ribbons and dragged me along to some unknown location.

"Where are you dragging me off to now, Volbeat watching" I chuckled and looked to her for a reply, which I never received. "...Angel?"

"Don't worry Dante, we are simply heading over to my den, I wish to give you something." My ears perked up at this and I walked up beside her, regarding her curiously. "Best not to ruin the surprise."

I shrugged and let her lead me once again, ending up heading past the lake and towards a small hill with only a handful of dens dotting the side. She led me to the one smack dab in the middle, ushering me inside with a gentle push.

"Welcome to my humble abode" she said, releasing me from her hold and walking further into the den. I gave it a short look over, nothing all that special, pretty much looking just like mine.

"Not bad, definitely brighter than mine though " I said, referring to the increase of sunlight shining through the entrance. She giggled and continued rummaging through one of the compartments in the back of her den.

"I would sure hope so, yours is in one of the darkest places in the clan, a real favorite of the Umbreon. I'm alright with being in dark places, but I do appreciate some sunlight every once in awhile. Ah, here it is!" Next thing I knew, something soft and fluffy suddenly collided with my face. I jolted back and sneezed before staring down at the offending object.

"Is that...a plushy?" Low and behold, a little Zorua plushy sat on the ground right in front of me. I blinked and looked up at Angel, seeing her smiling sweetly as she padded over towards me.

"I saw a little human drop it a few years ago after I snuck out of the clan. I was still an eevee back then so I could hide very easily. I think he was a trainer or something, but he didn't see me so I just watched him for awhile. Then I saw him drop this, I grabbed it and its been with me ever since." She held her smile as her ribbons ran down the length of my spine while she came up too nuzzle my cheek affectionately. My body went rigid and stiff under her affection, still not being used to any non-violent contact. She giggled at my reaction and licked me behind the ear.

"Your much to stiff Dante, just relax" she said and pushed me down on my stomach, licking the back of my neck. My teeth clenched and I very much wanted to walk out of this situation, but my body refused to respond. I guess I longed for this contact, and I really should have known this would happen if I ended up alone with a Sylveon, they were known as the love eeveelution after all.

"A-Angel…" I breathed, looking back at her smiling face.

"Shush Dante, it will be alright, you must be very tired after today, go ahead and get some rest." She then gently licked behind my ear, making my breath hitch before I finally relaxed on her bedding.

"I don't…understand." She giggled and lied down next to me, resting her head on my back.

"I can see your truly a good mon on the inside, and this draws me to you. Your also so dark and mysterious...there is just something so...intriguing. I would love to simply get to know u better, but I can sense your fatigue." She squeezed me softly with her ribbons. "Just relax hon, take a nice rest."

No matter how hard I tried to fight it, my eyes still refused to stay open. It was true that I was tired...and she was so warm and soft...what is this feeling. I was so confused, but thinking was the last thing on my agenda. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. She must have sensed this sense she used her ribbons to make me curl into a tight ball, her curling up around me as well.

'Is this feeling...love?' That was my last thought before I couldn't fight the feeling anymore, letting my eyes flutter close and draw me into sleeps sweet embrace.

 **I know what your thinking, maybe this last part was a bit to early, but I really don't care. It's a Sylveon for Gods sake, did u really expect it not to be this affectionate. Don't judge me on how fast I move things, its my style.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yep, still not dead, just very lazy and trying my best to fight the writers block.**

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"Dante, you in here?" My ears twitched at the appearance of a familiar voice.

"Yes Jules, Dante is here with me" Angel replied for me, nuzzling my neck again. I groaned and curled up tighter, nudging my head up under her forearm. She giggled and curled her slightly larger frame against my own again, laying her head on my own.

"What in the world is Dante doing in he-..." Jules stopped mid sentence when he laid eyes on the scene before him. I peeked an eye open to look at him, seeing him stare back blankly, right before a smile formed on his lips and I heard him trying his hardest to suppress his laughter.

"You laugh, you die" I growled and forced myself up from my position, stretching out the kinks in the process. He still let out a little chuckle before gaining control of himself and letting himself in the rest of the way.

"We were wondering where you were, the guys wanted to have a battle with you today, gauge your battle strength" Jules told me, ushering me out of Angels den and into the harsh sunlight of the outside world. I groaned and head-butted him out of my way, taking shelter under a large tree, trying to let my eyes adjust naturally instead of forcing them.

"Your friends can wait, I need to wake up some more first" I said with a yawn, rubbing an eye with my paw and looking at Jules with them half lidded. He wasn't having any of it though, and simply slid a Chesto berryin front of me. I briefly wondered where he had been keeping that, but I didn't really give it much thought before downing the thing in one bite. My eyes immediately shot open and my ears perked up.

"Thanks, I needed that" I stated gruffly, clearing my throat and shaking out my fur. "Now, a battle you say?"

He instantly perked up as a wide smile overtook his visage. "Yep, me and a few other stronger clan members wanted to see if your really as strong as you come off to be. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe your super strong, but the others have to see to believe."

"Makes sense" I shrugged, popping my back and motioning for him to lead the way, "Most people and Pokémon refuse to actually believe something on word alone, some even deny the sight of it, no one denies it when they get thrown about 20 yards or so though, so there is that."

"20 yards? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Nope, last battle I had was against one of those Frogadiers, knocked that sucker clear across the forest, broke a tree or two in the process as well." He looked at me in awe, like I had just said the most amazing thing in the world.

"Wow, that must have been some battle."

"Not really, it was actually a little disappointing, the frog put up more of a challenge then the rest of his team" I said with a shrug.

"Oh...well let's change the subject, maybe to you and Angel" he said, looking at me with a sideways glance and a smirk on his muzzle. I took on my normal bored expression and returned my eyes to the path before me.

"Nothing to talk about, it was simply a Sylveon acting like a Sylveon, nothing more" I told him, not bothering to look at him during the explanation. I could still tell he held a look of amusement, but I just hope he doesn't dig any farther into this.

"Angel never acts like other Sylveon, unless its someone she really likes." So much for dropping the subject. "Have you ever even been hit on by a female, do you know what she was even trying to do?"

I sighed and looked at my friend with a still bored look.

"I have been courted by every variant of eeveeloution known, even by species not of the same line as us. Believe it or not, I have mated with a female before I came here." He looked at me in surprise, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"You...had a mate?"

"Yes, but no, I was mated to a Luxray back when I traveling with their pack" I answered simply, gesturing for us to continue our trip.

"...If you had a mate, then why were you all alone in an area far away from known Luxray territory?" I sighed and looked to the ground, not wanting to think too much about those days.

"We were mated, we even had a child...but their was no love...I was practically a slave to the pack. I was still weak back then, and I was forced into mating her by the pack alpha. They wanted me to stay so they could use me as a slave and cannon fodder should trainers ever find the pack...it was a truly terrible experience." I said, a small tear trying its hardest to fall, but I refused to show weakness over something I had forgotten until now. It was still a very painful memory, being used by every Pokémon there, for anything they so desired...it scarred me, without a doubt.

I peeked over at Jules to see his reaction, seeing exactly what I had expected. His face was a mix of horror and sympathy, quite a sight to see on a normally so carefree and jubilant Pokémon.

"...How...how did you escape? " he asked, careful to not upset me.

"They trained me to battle so I could help protect the pack should they ever fall under siege, and also how to use stealth on the raids they performed on human settlements. They thought I wouldn't able to attack them, even if I was trained...I made them think I was broken so they would let their guard down and give me the perfect chance to escape their camp." I blinked away the tear that had finally escaped it's prison, giving Jules an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to go into my past like that, kind of just escaped me."

"Its alright man, don't worry about it, I'm glad you told me instead of holding it in. Its not healthy to forget about your past, the good or the bad...I'm happy that I make you feel secure enough to actually tell me anything about your past." He said with a happy smile, moving to nuzzle my neck in a friendly fashion.

"Still, I hate remembering everything that was done to me...it makes me feel like that weak little Umbreon all over again." I sighed and weakly nuzzled him back.

"Well how about we do something to get your mind off of it, the guys are right over there and they can't wait to see how strong you are" he said, pointing over at the small crowd of eeveeloutions gathered in the field, either chatting or battling one another.

"Alright...maybe a battle or two won't hurt" I softly smiled and my ear twitched at the sound of an explosion. "But if they keep it up like this, they won't have any energy left for a battle."

"Nah, there just blowing off some steam against some of the weaker ones, hang on." He ran ahead, leaving me alone while he went off to round up everyone. In the short time he was gone, I briefly wondered why I had divulged any of this information to him, seeing as how I would normally leave my past as it is, the past.

'I must be slipping' I mentally sighed before closing my eyes and steeling my expression to return to an emotionless face. They were coming, I couldn't let them see weakness in any way form.

"So, you're the new guy eh?" A Vaporeon asked, looking my up and down, judging me.

"He doesn't look like much" a Flareon remarked, earning a nod from a few of the others.

"Looks can be deceiving " I stated simply, appraising the lot of them, suppressing a chuckle at seeing a Sylveon trying to act intimidating. "But my actions will always speak louder than my words...which I am actually quite eager to prove. I heard that you all wanted to have a battle, and I am here to oblige."

"Confident, aren't you?" a Glaceon chuckled, letting his fur spike up as the air grew increasingly colder.

"You could say that...but I am also still quite tired, so my patience is very thin as of this moment, so can we please get this out of the way?" I asked with a yawn. The group looked to one another, talking and exchanging nods before they all turned to me at once.

"Very well, I and Rush shall be your opponents" A Flareon stated, a Jolteon stepping up beside him.

"Only you two?"

"We are the strongest members of this group, you may battle the others if you wish, but you must defeat us first." I nodded and made my way to the other side of the field, turning around and sitting down calmly while everyone cleared out, leaving a clear space between me and my opponents. I watch them slowly as they crouched down in a fighting stance, watching me for any sudden movements. I raised a brow and moved my eyes between the two, not even bothering to stand up as they charged at me after I raised a paw and licked it lazily. The Jolteon charged at me with a Volt Tackle while the Flareon came at me with a Flame Charge. I just sighed and used Feint Attack to disappear before they could reach me.

"Oh no you don't!" The Jolteon shouted as he canceled his attack before shooting a Thunderbolt across most of the field, forcing me to forget about my attack as I leapt around the bolt, only to be forced to move again, feeling heat travel across the entirety of my back as the Flamethrower just grazed me, singeing a few hairs on my ears.

"Impressive" I remarked, right before launching a beam of dark energy, them jumping away, leaving themselves vulnerable to the duel Shadow Ball, knocking them right out of the sky. "But still not good enough."

I raised a brow in mild surprise, seeing them shakily get to their paws, their muzzles fixed with a grimace.

"Okay...that hurt" Flareon groaned, right before their legs gave out and they collapsed once again. I sighed in disappointment, hoping for at least a little bit of a challenge, but alas, it ended just like the other's.

"Dude...that was awesome!" Jules practically shouted, making my ear twitch as I shrugged, licking my paw lazily. The others slowly made their way over to me as well, a few already dragging the Flareon and Jolteon pair to the medical den.

"They were not the strongest in the pack I hope."

"Not even close, their just the strongest of us, and you took them down with a single attack, how did you get so strong man?" I noticed the others also start to pay close attention, wondering if I was going to reveal some kind of secret. I shook my head and moved my paw up to pull one of his ears over his eye.

"Can't tell, it's a secret" I smiled and spun on my pads, slapping his face lightly with my tail before walking through the crowd. He blinked in surprise before a grin formed on his face as he charged and tackled me, sending both of us tumbling down a hill, making us look like a yellow and black Ying-Yang, eventually coming to a stop with him standing overtop me while my paws were stuck on his chest. I stared at him with a raised brow and a grin while he blinked away the stars, eventually dropping his eyes to look down at me.

"You expecting a kiss?" I teased, making a bright blush form on his muzzle as he hastily retreated from his spot atop me.

"Um...w-well that happened" he nervously chuckled, making my smile widen ever so slightly.

"Its okay man, I mean I usually prefer to be top but its alright to experiment every once in awhile" I laughed as his blush grew ever brighter. He stuttered out unintelligible gibberish for a while longer before I smiled and patted his back, bumping his shoulder lightly before walking away, my tail raised ever so slightly.

Mentally, I was dying of laughter, momentarily thinking that I might be a little bipolar, but shrugging it off as the comedy died down to nothingness.

"Go on and do whatever it is you do, I thought I saw a hot spring a while ago and wanted to check it out" I shouted back at him, not turning around to see if he acknowledged me or not. I stopped and raised my snout to the air, sniffing a few times till the smell of heated water reached my nose.

'Bingo' and off I was, eager to finally relax without being disturbed. Plus, I was always a fan of hot springs, I even met a lady nice enough to let me use hers anytime, as long as I did it after hours to avoid driving off her customers. She was really the only human I trusted, shame she had to close up shop after that mishap.

I shivered at the mere thought of what happened all those years ago, especially since she was the one to nurse me back to health after I escaped from the Luxray pack...I wished I could have been there to protect here...those screams still festered in the back of my head.

I shook my head violently, clearing out the memory I swore I would forget. I can't dwell on the past, it never did me any good. It was always hard to keep them from making themselves known, at least not without a distraction. Thankfully I reached the hot springs before I could really dwell on it.

There were a few other eeveeloutions here, mainly Vaporeon, but also a few Espeon, Umbreon, and an Eevee here and there. I guessed the Flareon steered clear due to their dislike of water, unless it was scalding hot, Leafeon didn't like anything hot except for the sun, and the Jolteon would just straight up kill everyone if they weren't careful., water and electricity, not a good combo.

I found an empty spot after a few minutes of searching around and simply jumped in, gritting my teeth ad the water stung quite a bit at first, it quickly turned relaxing after I got used to it and I laid down in a shallow spot, letting my head rest on a small flat rock jutting out of the water.

"That's the ticket" I sighed in satisfaction, letting the water ease the muscles and naturally clean my fur. I think I just about fell asleep, had I not been hit head on by a small ball of fluff. I cracked an eye open to look at the little eevee as it eagerly came up to nuzzle my face.

"Hi Mr. Dante, I didn't expect to see you here, its so good to see you again, how have you been, did you do anything exciting lately? I watched the stars fall last night, did you see it to, wasn't it so pretty!"

'My God does this kid have an off switch' I mentally groaned and laid my ears flat against my head, trying to quiet his voice on my own.

"Riley, what are you doing to this nice Pokémon!? Quit this instant!" I heard a familiar voice scold the little kit, a Espeon with a blue crystal on her head following soon after.

"But mommy, its Mr. Dante!" Riley replied, moving ever so closer to me while continuing to nuzzle me. I sighed and stood back onto my paws, cracking my back before moving to sit at the edge of the water where Riley's mother currently stood.

"Hello Esther, pleasure to meet you again" I bowed my head politely, her returning it without hesitation.

"The pleasure is all mine Dante, I was definitely not expecting to see you here of all places, didn't take you as one that enjoyed to simply relax" she said, stepping in the water and taking a seat right beside me.

"Was never really able to before, out there, relaxation equals a likelihood of death" I shrugged, letting my eyes wander back towards Riley, seeing him play animatedly with another little eevee. The sight alone brought a smile to my face, this not going unnoticed by a certain Espeon.

"You know, he's really taken a liking to you, goes on and on about going out and finding you again" she told me surprising me a little.

"Why would he want to find me, all I did was help him find you, I don't really think that's worth going out to look for me again." She giggled at my answer, her tail wagging behind her amusedly.

"Young kits are very impressionable, and since you help him when he was scared, he see's you as a sort of protector. Its nice really, he doesn't really have much of a father figure around ever since my mate died." Her ears suddenly drooped as an aura of subtle despair hung around the area. I smiled sadly and leaned in to nuzzle her comfortingly, feeling a small wet spot form on my cheek soon after.

"I know its hard to lose someone you truly care about, how painful it is to remember them and how hard it is to forget them..." I let a moment of silence pass between us, wiping the tears from her eyes as she leaned up against me.

"its just...been so hard...raising him all on my own with all of my responsibilities. I barely ever have time to spend with him...and I want to raise him right, but I can't do it all my own" she sniffled, looking up at me with tear filled eyes. I nodded and wrapped my tail around hers, my eyes turning back to the playing Riley. He still looked so carefree and happy, playing around with his friends in the water.

"I wish I could tell you I understood what your going through, but I can't, I never had to care for my own kin...but I can help you watch over yours." Her eyes turned from sorrowful to curious, something I enjoyed looking at much more.

"You want to help me?" she asked, sounding quite surprised. I nodded and smiled down at her, nuzzling her again.

"I will, you look like you need a break, no offence" she giggled and wrapped her tail around me, nuzzling under my chin softly.

"Thank you so much Dante...normally I wouldn't trust anyone I barely know to watch over my little one, but Riley seems to trust you, so I will as well." I smiled and tucked my head over hers, our tails waving lazily together in the warm water.

"My oh my, you two look comfortable" I heard a voice giggle as my fur bristled and my paws spread ever so slightly.

""Hello Rega, how are you today?" Esther asked whoever had come up, making my form relax significantly. I turned my head to look at the one behind me, laying eyes on a Flareon sitting on the bank, but keeping her distance from the water.

"Pretty good, obviously not as well as you seem to be doing, found yourself a cute male did you?" she giggled, causing a blush to form under my fur. I was now very uncomfortable with how close I was to the Espeon and slid away from her, hearing a giggle soon follow. "My, he's a shy one."

"Come on, don't tease him" Esther scolded, amusement clear in the undertone. I frowned and shifted my eyes away from the pair, blatantly looking at anything but them.

"Fine, fine, we gotta go anyway, Cage need to see us about organizing a few new scouting runs, and you know he hates waiting."

"Very well, I'll find a sitter for Riley and meet you there" she replied, calling out for her kit. He quickly ran over, a smile still plastered on his muzzle. Said smile quickly disappeared after hearing he had to leave, his ears drooping sadly.

"But I don't want to go, I'm having so much fun" he cried, a tear staining the fur under his eye. Esther nuzzled him comfortingly, licking away the tears.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I don't have anyone here to watch the you, and I can't leave you alone all day and night without a sitter" she told him, not helping slow the flow of tears.

"I can watch him for you if you want "I offered, instantly catching her attention and making Riley's tears run dry.

"Really?" they both asked, to which I nodded, instantly getting flattened by a overjoyed ball of fluff. The little kit nuzzled me constantly, making me fight to get back up to my paws.

"You really wouldn't mind?" Esther questioned.

"Not at all, I have the rest of the day off and I had nothing planned, you may ask Jules where my den is if you need to come and get him at any time." She beamed at me before nuzzling and licking me in thanks while Riley circled around my forelegs happily. I stood there petrified by their actions, watching Rega laugh as my expense.

"Thank you so much for this Dante, I owe you" she said after finally stepping back and turning towards her son, who was currently sitting in between my forepaws. "Now Riley, you mind your manners and listen to Dante, I will be back for you in the morning."

"Okay mommy" he smiled, running up to her and nuzzling her legs while she licked behind his ear.

"I know this is sort of a family moment, but we need to go now, last thing I want is to listen to Cage chew my ear off for being late." Esther sighed and licked him one last time before running up to her friend and following her off into the woods.

"Mr. Dante?" Riley asked softly his eyes shyly looking up at me.

"Yes young one?"

"Can I go back to playing with my friends?" I smiled and nodded, making him squeal as he charged off towards his group of friends and helped contribute too the chaos only a group of kits could achieve.

"I have a feeling I have made a very bad decision" I said quietly, wondering why I had offered to do something I was not at all comfortable with. In the end, I did what I did every time a thought like this crossed my mind, forget about it and let myself fall back into the water and laying my head back on the rock, keeping one eye open to make sure the kit didn't run off to Arceus knows where.

'All day huh...fun, lets see how bad of a migraine I get by the end of this.'

* * *

 **Yeah, didn't really know how to end this one, but at least I got another one up right.**

 **As always, follow, fav, and review.**

 **Bigshot, out.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Haven't touched this one for awhile have I, sorry about that. Writers block has been hitting me hard and I've kind of been slacking. I'm trying people, I really am, so please just bear with me.**

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"Come on Mr. Dante, it's time to wake up" I heard Riley say as he and about five other paws poked at me. I mentally groaned and cracked an eye open, seeing almost a dozen eevee kits surrounding me with excited looks on their faces.

'Oh what fresh hell is this' I mentally sighed, looking at the collective of eevee before sighing again and slowly picking myself up from the soothing heat of the water.

"I'm guessing these are your friends" I said, giving a long stretch and a wide yawn before looking at Riley with half lidded eyes. He nodded happily and introduced me to each and every one of them, which I counted to be at about seven, not a bad number. "Good, now may I ask why you woke me up?"

"Me and my friends were wondering if you'd take us to the field to play?" I sighed and nodded, telling all of them to ask their parents first before we went anywhere. After about five minutes, I was leading a troop of eevee like a marching band, much to the amusement of all those watching.

"Riley, why do you choose to hide yourself under me instead of walking behind me like the rest of your friends?" I asked offhandedly. He perked up, his ears tickling my chest as he smiled up at me.

"Because, I like you a lot Mr. Dante" he said happily. I quirked a brow and looked down at him curiously. "You seem like a very nice Pokémon, and you remind me of my daddy" his good mood instantly took a 180, that smile turning into a sad frown. I smiled sadly and leaned down to lick him behind the ear comfortingly.

"I'm sure he was a very good Pokémon...out of curiosity, what was he?"

"An Umbreon" he answered immediately.

"Ah, well he made a good choice, believe it or not, Umbreon are the most dangerous and powerful of our evolutions." That seemed to get his attention, as well as the rest of the kits since I felt all seven eyes trained on my head. "We are most dangerous because we are the only duel type eeveelution, just not in the sense of our battle abilities, and the humans also do not recognize us as such. We aren't allowed used Poison type attacks, but we secrete poisonous sweat when we deem it necessary, it is quite handy to have on paw whenever we are desperate."

"Wow" he breathed, a smile returning to his muzzle after hearing this information.

"Now do me a favor and keep that smile up, it looks much better than that frown." I told him with a smile of my own, stopping to nuzzle him playfully. He happily nuzzled back before jumping out from under me and leaping on top of me, balancing himself on my back. I looked back at him while chuckling, noticing that the other kits were watching us curiously. "What, were at the field now, play."

I regretted those words almost instantly, because next thing I know, I was buried under a pile very playful eevee.

"Why do I even open my mouth sometimes?" I sighed and picked myself up from the ground, making a couple eevee fall off in the process. One was stubborn though, and hugged my back with all four legs. I chuckled and curled around to grip the kits scruff in my teeth and pull him up off my back, right before running off with him still in my hold.

"Hey, get back here with my friend!" one of them shouted and sprinted off after me, the others following suite. I peeked back and skidded to a halt, spinning around and sidestepping the lead eevee, and leaped over the rest, leaving them seemingly mystified as the watched me soaring over their head. After I landed, I looked back at the little ones, shaking my tail playfully and fading out of site, letting the eevee in my jaws drop to the ground with soft thud.

"Mr. Dante?" Riley called out in utter confusion, not taking his eyes from the spot I once was. I grinned and tapped his shoulder, earning a small scream from the little fox.

"You have to be aware of your surroundings at all times, isn't that right little one?" I asked, turning my head to look directly at the kit that was trying to sneak up behind me. He froze on the spot after my crimson eyes met his hazel irises.

"Indeed it is" I heard a voice whisper into my ear, startling me and making me quickly put myself between the owner and the kits.

"...Don't...do that" I growled out, glaring at the giggling Sylveon before me. She grinned and nuzzled me softly, making me sigh as a small smile formed on my muzzle.

"Sorry, just couldn't help myself" she said and nuzzled me again, right before she was tackled away from me by a wave of brown and white.

"Ms. Angel!" They all yelled in unison, smothering her in utter adorableness. It almost made me gag it was so sweet.

"Well hello young one's, how are you all doing today?" She giggled from under the pile of kits. They all responded with yips of delight as they crawled all over her, making me grunt and walk off towards one of the random trees that dotted the field and laid down, setting my head on my paws, relaxing under the shade while I watched them laugh and play.

At least I tried to, had the entire group not suddenly piled onto me.

"Why me" I sighed under the pile of eevee kits, to which my only response was a musical giggle. I forced my head past the wall of fur to stare at the Sylveon with a bored expression.

"You look comfortable" she giggled, earning a glare from me.

"Very funny" I grumbled and forced my way out of the pile, shaking the dirt and grass from my fur before going over to the nearby pond on the side of the field, drinking my fill while the kits continued to play.

'Why did I suggest I do this' I mentally sighed and looked at my reflection, the mirror images eyes boring into my own as if to call me out for my own stupidity.

"I know your right behind me" I grumbled, feeling soft ribbons encircle me soon after.

"There's no need to be so grumpy" she giggled and sat down next to me, nuzzling me softly. I growled quietly, keeping my eyes locked on the water.

"Is something wrong dear?"

"I'm fine, just tired...and wondering why I offered to watch a bunch of kits" I replied, letting my head fall into her shoulder. She tightened her hold on me in response, rubbing my head with the tip of one of her ribbons.

"I can answer that question for you" she said, pushing my head up with a ribbon so our eyes locked. "But where's the fun in that"?

I just looked at her with a deadpan expression, making her chuckle.

"Your enjoying this aren't you"?

"Only a little bit". I sighed, pulling myself from her hold and wading into the pond, dipping my head under the chilled water, instantly waking me up fully and definitely making me much less irritable.

"Good to know at least somebody's enjoying themselves." She chuckled at my reply, stepping into an water and sitting down right next to me, returning to nuzzling me.

"You know you were having fun before I came around."

"...I can neither confirm or deny that." She shook her head in amusement and rested her head on mine, right before we were both hit in the face by a large splash of water. Looks like the rest of the kits decided to join us in the water, great.

"Please end me" I groaned, slowly dropping into the water.

* * *

I can't thank you enough for watching my little boy for me Dante." Esther told me, nuzzling me happily while Riley was busy saying bye to all of his friends.

"No problem Esther, he wasn't too much of a hastle, but I could definitely go for a nap right now" I sighed earning a giggle from her while she wrapped her tail around mine and pressed her forehead to mine. "What are you doing?"

"Just stay still, you'll see" she replied, not budging an inch. I raised a brow, but did as I was told and stayed still while she kept on with whatever she was doing. That's how we stayed for about the next fifteen seconds, at least that's how long I think it took until my mind suddenly went blank and my entire body went limp, suddenly finding myself supported only by Esther as my legs turned to jelly. "Good to see at least some of my power still works on dark types."

"What...did you do...to me?" I groaned, trying and failing to move my legs while Esther gently laid me on the ground.

"Just used a little bit of my power to relax your muscles and clear your mind, seems to be the only ability I have that effects dark types. Thought you would appreciate it seeing that you were most likely stressed out from watching all of those little ones."

"Not that...it's not appreciated...but I don't like feeling so defenseless." I gritted my teeth and forced myself to move, picking myself up with shaky legs that threatened to buckle at any moment.

"Wiles, can you come over here please?" Esther called, a Vaporeon showing up soon after.

"How may I help you Esther?" It said, it's tone deep and masculine as it stood beside her, giving me a quick glance before turning his attention back to her.

"Could you please help Dante here, I may have used my ability without his permission and he refuses to relax until it wears off." He nodded and moved up beside me, using his tail to lean me onto his larger frame.

"How many times have we all told you that others don't like it when you do these kinds of things without asking first, I'm honestly surprised no one has actually done anything about it." he chuckled before looking at me with that same smile still on his muzzle. "Another thing that surprises me is that this poor guys still able to stand, quite an achievement there my friend."

"Usually I leave the ladies weak in the knees, there's a first for everything I guess" I said, earning a hearty laugh from the water jet Pokémon.

"Oh, a jokester are you, that's refreshing." He said with a sarcastic undertone.

"Oh sod off" I barked and pushed off of him, stretching my body to work out the muscles as pin pricks of pain worked around my body as feeling slowly returned to my limbs.

"Hey, I was trying to help you, you don't have to be a prick about it!" He shouted, making me growl as frustration soon set in.

"I don't need help, so screw off before you piss me off." Looks like that was all of took to make the water type lose his temper, showing it by trying to nail me with a Water Gun, only to hit dirt, right along with his face after I pinned him to the ground with my snarling muzzle inches above his face. "That was probably the stupidest decision you've made in your entire life."

"Dante, stop it, that's enough!" Esther shouted, trying to push me off of the Vaporeon. I growled at her, making her back up while I leaned my muzzle down and sniffed at his neck.

"I can smell your fear" I chuckled darkly, reveling in the look of sheer terror he was showing off. "Now listen to me and listen good, I don't know you, but I definitely don't like you. My hunches are rarely wrong, so I suggest you keep your distance from me before I show you my wild side."

"Ngh...w-what hunch?" He asked through his chattering as the scent of piss filled the air.

"I know a dark heart when I see one, you may have fooled the others, but I can see through this little charade. Even the purest of souls can hold the darkest of sins, so be very careful around me, are we clear?"

"DANTE, GET OFF OF HIM RIGHT NOW!" I growled and turned to look at Esther, who's expression was far from content. I snorted in contempt and left the guy laying there while I made my way back to my den, parting the crowd that had formed to watch the spectacle, not sparing a glance for anyone, my eyes locked ahead.

* * *

"So, you want to tell me why you pulled off that little stunt Dante?" Kata, the Vaporeon council member, nearly shouted while stepping into the entrance of my den. I peeked an eye open to watch him enter my home with a Jolteon and Glaceon, most likely other members of the council. I sighed as my afternoon nap was interrupted and stood up to meet with them, groaning as my joint popped and cracked in protest.

"Can I help you Kata?" I asked him, tiredness and boredom clear in my tone. I swear I saw a vein bulge in his forehead as a snarl formed on his muzzle.

"Yes, you can Dante" he growled out and got inches from my face. "You can start by telling me why you threatened my son."

Okay, now his anger made sense, probably would have reacted the same if I had a kid that got humiliated in public. My face remained the same however as I calmly sat down and licked the back of my paw.

"Its quite simple really, I could sense who he really was, and I was not happy with what I found."

"So you threatened my only child because you simply didn't like him?" He asked, his eye twitching as his short temper made itself quite apparent.

"Pretty much, I am an excellent judge of character when I choose to be, and, very rarely, are my hunches wrong." As soon as I finished my sentence, I felt a claw press itself against my neck, threatening to tear my throat open.

"Maybe I don't like the feel of you Dante, tell me why I shouldn't just rip your throat out and end you right now" he threatened, showing only mild surprise at the fact I wasn't panicking at how easily be could have just killed me then and there.

"Two reasons, reason number one." I quickly faded from my spot, and before he even knew what had happened, he was on the ground with my claw inches from his femoral artery. "You couldn't kill me if you tried."

"Dante, release him!" The Glaceon ordered, his voice matching that of Siècle, the Glaceon council member. I looked back at him with the fiercest glare I could muster, freezing him on the spot, turning to look at the Jolteon as well when I saw them trying to sneak up while I was distracted.

"You come into my home, my territory, and threaten me, that's grounds for execution in the wild." I said, a feral grin forming on my muzzle. The temperature in the den dropped as fear began to take over the three while they watched their newest member take down one of the strongest of them in little more that a second. "If you truly wanted me to listen, then you should have remained civil about this. You may run things differently here, but I still follow the rules of the wild. If you want me to respect you, prove to me you are worth respecting."

I pulled my claw from the water types neck and walked back towards the end of my den, looking back with a look of pure contempt that made them all shiver in fear.

"Now get out of my den before I really get ticked." Kata gritted his teeth, but reluctantly backed off and started to leave with his friends, looking back at me to show his anger.

"You need to learn your place Dante, we do no operate like wild Pokémon. We have rules and laws we all have to abide by. You are not exempt from this, and if you continue to break the code of conduct set by the council, we will be forced to make you leave."

"Oh, I'm terrified" I chuckled, rolling my eyes while giving them a cocky grin. "Your punishments mean nothing to me, there is nothing you can do to control me. I am my own Pokémon, not yours. I will try and abide to your rules since at least half of them are common decency, but if I see it as a stupid and useless law, then I will make my own decision."

"You are testing our patience Umbreon!" The Jolteon growled, her fur bristling as at least a thousand volts traveled through it, almost making her glow with a very deadly light.

"And you are testing your luck" I snarled back as my rings began glowing brighter and my pupils dilated. Before we could exchange the full extent of our rage induced power, Siècle jumped between us and released a frigid blast of cold all around him, cooling us down figuratively and literally.

"Alright, we all need to just calm down, let's keep this civil" he pleaded, looking at me with a calming gaze. "Please Dante, we're just doing out jobs. We understand that this whole 'following the rules' thing might not be what your used to, but please just understand where we're coming from."

I raised a brow and relaxed my stance, calmly walking towards him and sitting down while looking into his jet black eyes.

"See, now this is what I wanted. No threats, no yelling, just a civil conversation between two sensible beings, you could both learn something from Siècle here." This earned a small blush from the ice type while it just pissed the other two off more, making me grin in amusement.

"I will try and follow your rules, but I wish to see a list of all of the rules your clan has in place, preferably in human writing since I never really learned how to read any other form of writing."

"I can do that, might take a little bit to translate, but I will see to it. Just, please don't threaten any more of your clan mates from here on out." Siècle told me, receiving a nod in agreement.

"Very well, now please leave me be, I wish to finish my nap." The Glaceon nodded and made his way out of my den with the other two, noticeably more upset than him, followed. I returned to my nest and curled up to sleep for the next few hours, wanting to be well rested when I went out for my midnight walk, least I would have had a certain Jolteon not walked in soon after the others left.

"Don't really see three council members walking out of a den at the same time often, can only imagine what you did." Another sigh escaped my muzzle, but I couldn't help the small smile that grew soon after.

"Hello Jules, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I greeted the Jolteon, picking my head up as he came to lay down beside me.

"First off, before we go any further, what was with the council walking out of your den. Kata and Tara looked totally livid, only Siècle looked like he wasn't ready to kill somebody."

"Long story short, I ended up threatening Kata's son and he came to threaten me back." I replied with a shrug, watching as the Jolteon's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hold on a second, let me get this straight, you threatened a council members son...do I even want to know?"

"Nope." He shook his head with a sigh, looking at me with disappoint clear on his face.

"Come on man, you can't go around threatening clan members, that's gonna get you exiled faster than you can blink." I shrugged and laid my head back down.

"There are reasons for everything I do Jules, best not to question it."

"Whatever you say dude, now for what I was really here for, I was wondering if you would like to have a battle with me." I looked up at him in surprise as I canted my head in curiosity.

"Me and you, battle, what brought this up?"

"Yes or no man" he urged, making me narrow my eyes in mild annoyance.

"Watch your tone" I warned, my lips curled back to show the whites of my teeth. His ears flattened along the back of his head as he shied away from me.

"Sorry, but can you please just give me an answer now, it's important." He repeated, much calmer this time around. I gave it some thought, not seeing much harm in a friendly spar, so I nodded my head in agreement.

"Awesome, meet me at the field tomorrow at noon, I wanted to show my class how a real Jolteon should fight."

"Aren't they always the one beating you around?" I asked, chuckling as a blush quickly formed on his muzzle.

"Hey, they team up on me, a mon can only do so much" he defended, making me laugh all the harder.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever dude. Now if that was all you wanted, I would really like to try and get some sleep, want to go for my walk tonight and I need to be rested to do that. Stay or go, it's your choice." I told him, laying my head back down and letting my eyes fall closed.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could stay here tonight, kind of need to avoid Eve for awhile."

"Like I said, stay if you want, but it she comes by, I'm not saving your ass." I told him without moving an inch of even opening my eyes. He didn't say anything after that, just walked around my den for awhile before the sound of his paw steps closed in beside me, right before a small weight fell on my neck, probably his head so he could use me as a pillow. I let it be, seeing as he wasn't really moving all that much, and his warmth did feel kind of nice against my side.

"Sleep well Dante."

"You to Jules." Anything after that fell from my mind as I let my consciousness wander off into the world of dreams.

* * *

 **Starting to think I made Dante bipolar...oh well, the story will still go on as it is.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone, sorry about the late update. I've been very unmotivated as of late and I have had almost zero time to even sit down much less write. Work and college are killing me and I'm still suffering from writers block with Fabled World.**

 **So I do have to apologize again, but I can't promise to update anytime soon, and that really bums me out...hopefully I can update soon, fingers crossed.**

 **Until then, here's chapter 11 of Umbra Aeternam, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"You are up way to early" I groaned, laying my tail over my eyes while Jules knocked around the den, helping himself to the small stash of berries I kept in one of the holes in the stone wall so I didn't have to go all the way to the glacier for a meal.

"Sorry man, I'm just excited" he told me, scarfing down another berry before placing the rest back in the cubbyhole and nudging me with his nose. I groaned and removed my tail, letting my crimson gaze fall onto the dark chocolate color of his glowing irises.

"Why are you nudging me?" I grumbled, only to be answered by more nudging. I eventually got tired of his constant nudging and simply nipped his nose when he tried to do it again, making him reel back before a sneeze escaped him. "Why?"

"Sorry, got a little carried away there, but I just wanted to tell you that we still have to teach our classes in a few hours." Oh right, I told them to meet me today...should have told them tomorrow, but it was already to late for that.

"Very well, let's get over there before all hell breaks loose." I sighed, standing up and stretching out before following the suddenly energetic Jolteon as he, quite literally, ran circles around me.

"I recommend laying off the Chesto berries Jules" I said after maybe his tenth circle around me. He skidded to a stop, shaking his head violently before jumping into my side, having very little success at trying to knock me over.

"Like I said, I'm excited" he replied, saying little more as he continued trying to knock me over while I simply walked on, ignoring his attempts to play with me.

"And what, if I may ask, has you so excited?" He giggled and nudged up against me, affectionately rubbing his side against mine. I raised a brow, but said nothing, already quite used to his sudden acts of affection.

"It's a secret, I'll just have to show you later."

"Last time someone told me that, I woke up the next morning with a male Absol laying under me and a raging headache, which later led to a very lovely conversation with said Absol's mate, I hope the same event does not occur twice." I told him, casting him a sideways glance while he reeled back with a blush on his yellow furred cheeks.

"No, it's nothing like that...at least I don't plan on it to be."

"Not very comforting Jules" I deadpanned, purposefully not looking at the brightly blushing electric type. I meant it as a joke, even if it was a true story, but I guess I wouldn't mind a night of fun with the lightning Pokémon. I blinked after that thought entered my head, looking around like I was searching for some other being that might have made me think that.

"Well, I'm sorry, you know how we Pokémon are." He said in his defense, getting a head tilt as substitute for a shrug. He was right though, all Pokémon, male or female, tended to try and find mates, or at least a one night stand every once in awhile. They weren't as picky in terms of their partner like humans were, gay relationships were actually quite common in the wild. The only rule was that you had to have at least one offspring with a female to become mate's with a male.

'Why am I thinking about this now...whatever."

"If you say so buddy, now go teach your class, I gotta control the chaos a bunch of evil little Umbreon will no doubt cause." He nodded before practically sprinting off towards his little teaching area, leaving a little Jolteon shaped dust cloud in his wake.

'He's fast, even for a Jolteon...impressive' I mentally chuckled, shaking my head while making my way towards my group, who were already at each other's throats. At least it looked that way since they were all in a circle surrounding two others, who I instantly recognized as Jade and Angelia. Angelia, I understood why she would be in this situation, being so hotheaded that I knew she should have been a Flareon instead of an Umbreon, Jade eluded me though. He's always calm, if not a bit shy, but now he looked outright furious.

"Anyone wanna explain what's going on here?" I asked, making all cheers stop and every single living being in that area to freeze on the spot. The children cleared a path as I walked, to afraid to keep themselves in my way as to avoid the punishment I no doubt had in mind for the two. The two in question were frozen stiff in their last position, Jade with a claw to the females neck while Angelia had her jaws wrapped around the boys throat.

All it took was a single growl to send the two scrambling away from each other and a flash of teeth to get them to sit down in front of me.

"I will ask again, why?"

"She called me weak!" Jade replied, pointing an accusing paw at the girl.

"We'll he called me hotheaded!" She defended. I just stood there with a deadpan expression before my lips curled up in an another snarl.

"Really...really, that's the reason you were both at each others throats" I growled, making them cower away with their ears pressed against their head. "You are both Umbreon, yet your giving me excuses like a couple of eevee. Your young adults, your supposed to leave such childish behavior behind after you evolve, but I have seen a three tailed Vulpix with double the maturity that you two have put together."

"But-"

"I don't want to hear it!" I interrupted with a snarl, making her reel back in shock and whimper ever so quietly. "Now if your going to act like kits, I'm going to treat you like kits. First off, look at each other."

They did so without hesitance, not wanting to annoy me any farther.

"Now apologize to each other." My ears twitched when I heard the snickers behind me, no doubt being the other children getting entertainment at the pair's misfortune. "And the rest of you lot, two laps around the entirety of the field, no walking or stopping."

Moans and groans of complaint answered me back, going quiet the moment I looked back at them. "I don't want to hear it, you all should have stopped them instead of encouraging them."

They all nodded before running off to the edge of the field with their tails between their legs. Now that that's out of the way, I returned my gaze to the pair, smiling ever so slightly at the sight of them both with their paws touching in a pseudo handshake. They looked back at me, their ears still held tight to their heads.

"There, now please don't go at each other like that again, I wouldn't want to have to tell your parents you misbehaved in class."

"Yes sir" they nodded, making me openly grin as I moved in to nuzzle the both of them.

"Good to hear. Listen you two, I know I may act hard on you lot, but it's just because I care about all of you. I want to see all of you grow stronger here, you have someone to teach you how to use your power, I didn't. I had to learn the hard way, and I want to pass my knowledge down to y'all. I want to be proud of you, but I can't exactly be proud of this behavior, so don't do it again and we'll all be great, deal?"

"Deal" they replied in unison, wide smiles gracing their muzzles as they nuzzled me back.

"Good, now go run the laps with the rest of the group." I couldn't help but chuckle they both groaned in protest. "What, you thought you were gonna get away with that little stunt?"

Their only reply was a sigh before they ran off to join their friends, leaving me alone again as I watched them all run around, momentarily glancing at my friend, actually seeing him teaching for once, instead of getting ganged up on by his students.

Looks like their finally learning to respect him...or their afraid of me coming by again. Either way, it was nice seeing Jules actually able to show his pupils the skills of a matured Jolteon.

"It almost seems...normal here...kind of boring actually." I muttered, letting my eyes wander around the field, seeing all the classes calmly listening to their teachers without a single explosion going off in the background.

"W-we're done, Mr. Dante." I blinked and as my ear twitched as the voice of Shad entered my ears. I looked down at my side, suppressing a chuckle at seeing the entirety of my class sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily.

Either they sprinted the whole time, or I was seriously out of it, no other way that they could have finished that fast.

"Good, now go get something to drink and meet me back here. Don't take too long or your all running it again."

"Yes sir!" They all shouted before limping off towards the pond. I chuckled at their dramatics and lazily licked my paw, using it as a distraction so my mind didn't wander. It was then that I felt a gentle tap on my side, making me crack an eye open that I was not even aware was closed.

"Ready for that battle now Dante?" The Jolteon asked excitedly, practically bouncing in anticipation. I tilted my head curiously, looking between him and his students, who were watching us with a keen eye.

"And your class?"

"There gonna watch" he immediately replied, making me grin as a small laugh escaped me.

"Very well, let my students return and we can battle to your hearts content" I told him. He grinned widely and nuzzled me before charging off towards his area right as my class finally returned to me.

"So what's on the agenda today teach?" Asked Luis, probably the most sarcastic of my students, as he led the group of Umbreon to my position.

"Your getting a somewhat easy day kids, today your going to watch a battle" I told them, receiving mixed reactions. Some cheered, some groaned, others just stared on curiously. "Any objections...no...good, then follow me."

* * *

It took some time, but we eventually got everyone settled on one side of the field, giving me and Jules plenty of room to go all out without risking harm to the kids. Both classes were actually pretty excited to see their respectful teachers battling one another, I even heard a few placing bets on who would win. That's not what I need to be focused on though, right now I need to keep my full attention on the electric type before me, who was already crouched down and waiting for the battle to start. I was not so enthused, merely sitting down with my eyes trained on him, trying and succeeding looking as neutral as possible.

"You ready Dante?" He shouted, receiving a nod from me before he shot off towards me, almost to fast for me to keep track. In the end though, his speed was still not fast enough to catch me off guard, allowing me to cut him off with a Shadow Ball that nearly hit him, had he not leaped out of the way.

'Excellent reaction time' I mussed while watching him zigzag towards me. 'Definitely not slow.'

"Yaah-what the!" he cried mid yell, looking down as he slowly rose into the air. His eyes darted around the field, wondering what was responsible for his sudden suspension, before finally landing on me, beginning to panic when he noticed my eyes glowing a deep purple.

"What, you thought I was solely capable of using dark type moves" I chuckled, watching him flail his limbs uselessly, trying to break out of my hold, only to immediately stop before his fur crackled and sparked. My hold on him faded as I darted to the side to avoid becoming a living lightning rod.

"Nice try" my head shot to the side while still in the air, only to see the Jolteon running at me, electricity distorting the air around him as he charged towards me with a Volt Tackle. I gasped in surprise before gritting my teeth and launching a Dark Pulse on the ground, launching me into the air and out of harms way.

I flipped in the air and landed with my legs angled to catch myself in the landing and twirled around to face him, actually crouching down in a battle stance.

"Impressive Jules, maybe you won't be as boring as I thought" I told him, spreading my paws as he stalked towards me. A grin decorated his muzzle as he slowly circled me, looking for an opening.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" He asked before jumping back to avoid my Shadow Ball.

"Interpret it any way you chose, it matters little to me" I replied, moving to circle him as well. That's how it was for the next minute or two, neither of us wanting to make the first move. In the end, my patience was superior as he shot forward with another Volt Tackle. I chuckled and fazed away, only to be met with a thousand volts of electricity coursing through me.

My eyes shot open as I yelled in shock and pain, sliding along the dirt before righting myself and rolling back onto my paws. I looked back at my leg, shaking it a little to rid myself of the little pin pricks stabbing my mildly numb limp.

"Impressive Jules, I may have underestimated you" I chuckled, looking at the now beaming electric type, right before he was blasted by a Shadow Ball. "Which means I can no longer go easy on you."

I put quite a bit of power in that attack, but he took it like a champ, quickly jumping back onto his paws and shooting a Thunderbolt at me almost immediately. I shot a Dark Pulse at it and used the resulting smoke to close in on the electric type and clamping my jaws around his neck, hearing him scream out in pain before I buried his muzzle in the dirt.

"And a very important thing about Umbreon" I started, growling in amusement while he struggled from under me, eventually giving up when he realized he could not escape me. "We always fight dirty."

He whined in a mixture of sadness and disappointment, only to be drowned out by the echo of the children cheering at the display they just witnessed, along with a few groans as the ones betting against me sulked in defeat.

I helped the saddened Jolteon off the ground and helped him over to his class, who actually seemed to look at him with a bit more respect than they used to.

"I must say Jules, I may have underestimated you" I started, seeing his ears instantly perk up. I grinned and took a seat in front of him, moving his head up so his eyes met mine. "You are almost fast enough to keep up with me, and you even managed to score a hit on me, that is quite the accomplishment."

His smile regrew faster than I could blink, and he practically tackled me, sending a barrage of nuzzles my way.

"Thanks for the compliment Dante, I know I didn't have any chance against you, but it was still really fun."

"Yes, it was, you actually got my adrenaline pumping, maybe I'll even train you myself sometime."

His eyes lit up instantly and he renewed his nuzzling. I chuckled and pushed him off of me gently, standing back up on my paws and shaking the dirt from my coat. My leg was no longer numb from the electricity, but it still throbbed ever so slightly, barely enough to really realize without focusing on it.

"You doing alright there Dante?" Jules asked, sounding quiet worried at seeing me shake the leg that he struck. I smiled at his concern and nodded, right before a yawn escaped me.

"I'm quite alright my friend, just a little tired, still getting used to this whole staying awake during the day thing."

"What?" He asked with his ears twitching in curiosity. I smirked and turned to my side to show him my form.

"Umbreon remember, we got our power from the moon, so I'm a little out of my element here." He nodded in understanding before looking back at his student, who were animatedly discussing the battle, looking like they were ready to partake in battles of their own. Mine were no different it seems, and me and Jules took the initiative to set up their own battles, letting them practice on each other while we simply sat under the nearby tree.

A comfortable silence then fell upon us as we watched the two groups go at each other, nearly destroying the field had the class of Vaporeon not volunteered to keep tabs on the group after their session ended.

"Keep an eye on them for me will you, I'm going out into the woods for a bit." This caught his attention as he looked over at me with surprise written all over his face.

"Why would you go out into the forest, what kind of reason could you possibly have?"

I raised a brow and snorted in amusement, standing up with a stretch and made my way towards the main gate.

"I have my reasons, and don't worry, I'll be back by tomorrow" I told him, peeking back behind me with a smirk. "Don't cause any trouble while I'm gone, and don't be afraid to get my kids to help out if I'm not back in time for class."

With that said, I was on my marry way, walking past several other eeveeloutions, including the twin Flareons that were standing guard by the cave entrance.

"Heading out man." I gave him a nod, "Be safe out there, trainers are all over the place today."

"Thanks for the warning, I'll keep an eye out."

He nodded back to me and went back to the conversation with his friend, letting me walk further into the darkness.

"Trainers in the woods today, joy, time for some fun."

* * *

 **Sorry for the length, I wanted to get at least something out you know, and I am a firm believer in quality over quantity, so I hope this chapter was satisfactory.**

 **Feel free to tell me what you think in a review, I enjoy hearing from all of you.**

 **Till next time.**


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